


Grom tree of fate

by WiLd_skies



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, My First Fanfic, lumity fluff, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 09:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25847404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WiLd_skies/pseuds/WiLd_skies
Summary: Amity and Luz's relationship as friends start to blossom into something more after the events at Grom. As they get closer dangerous things begin to happen and soon they begin to wonder, Is this a sign?They walked up to it, "Heh, It's funny how it all started with this tree." Luz whispered. Their hands found each other, "Our tree." Amity said softly.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 12
Kudos: 228





	1. Of Trees, Exams, and Razorback Beasts

**Author's Note:**

> It's my first time writing a fanfiction so I hope you enjoy (:

It’s been exactly a week since Grom night, and much has happened since, but of course, there's never a slow day in the Boiling Isles. For starters, final exams were just around the corner and for a Blight, this meant complete social isolation. There was no such word as “Failing” in a Blight’s vocabulary, so Amity was confined to studying which normally wasn't an issue. However, through all the studying, her wandering mind somehow betrays her. A lovely image of a girl with short spiky hair, and hazel eyes that glisten anytime she hears the word “magic and Azura” in the same sentence completely distracted her from today's lesson in class. 

”I guess it’s safe to say that I won’t be getting much studying done today” Amity silently chuckled to herself as she tucked her hair behind her ears when a blush began to rise. Soon it was time for the next class and she quickly arranged her books so she could avoid any confrontation with her siblings along the way. 

“Hey, Mittens!!” Edric yells as he passes Amity. "Ugh just my luck." Amity scowled underneath her breath. I wanted to keep walking but abruptly an illusion of a wall caught me off guard and halted me in my tracks. Unfortunately, before I knew it, I was surrounded.

“Where's your girlfriend, dear sister… oh? have you scared her off already?” Emira chimes in as they both chuckle.

I never understood why they always came together, they were practically connected since you never saw one without the other, even when we were kids. It's as sweet as it was unnerving. Nevertheless, I don't hold back any sympathy for them because they're my siblings. In fact, because of the stunt they pulled with my diary and dragging Luz into their mess, they still have yet to earn back my trust. In which no progress has been made. 

“Aren't you both supposed to be in class?” I annoyingly huffed as my face inevitably reddens an aggravating crimson not minding in the slightest if anyone even in Glendale heard me.

“Oh Mittens, there’s no need to be angry with us,” Edric stated nonchalantly. “We were just curious, considering the only person you've been pining over- oh, I mean _chatting_ to lately is Luz”. Emira finished. It took all my willpower to not summon my biggest abomination to squash these two right then and there.

After our crowning as Grom queens, all of Hexside has seemed to consider Luz and me an “item”. Even Principal Bumps knows, thanks to Edric and Emira spreading rumors.

Promptly collecting myself, I gradually walk up toward them, each measure I take holding back the fury I truly wish to lay upon them. I mutter just audible enough for them to understand me, “If you both don’t stop pestering me, I’ll gladly tell mom and dad that you’ve been distracting me from my studies, including how you _both_ have skipped enough classes to dishonor the Blight name, even in the human realm.” With that, the twins were essentially on the opposite side of the school. “One day I’ll hex those two into oblivion.,” I swear under my breath as I begrudgingly continue to my next abomination class.

After school, the last place I aspired to be was home. I wasn't in the mood today to be cross-examined by Edric and Emira and possibly my parents if the world's favorite twins decided to enlighten them on today's events. But they knew better than that. So now, I sit here under the tree Luz and I mounted on the night of Grom, writing in my diary as the pink petals descend gently around me and onto the pages where I mark the occurrences of my day:

Dear Diary,

“Today was supposed to be our secret Azura meeting at the Library, but Luz declined, as she said she had “an errand” to run with the Owl Lady Criminal and the small fluffy self-proclaimed “King of demons”. She offered for me to come and join her on her reckless adventure to hunt down some rare nectar not found anywhere on the Boiling Isles for “Eda’s Potions”, whatever that means. I also declined, for my sake and Luz's. If mom or dad ever found out where I was, or that I was with a perpetrator and a human far away from home, there would be many different types of damnation to pay. She then offered for me to stay at the Owl house until she returns, but I’d most rather pass up the Emperor's coven than see that obnoxious owl door again. So for now, this tree is the closest thing I have to her company.”

With a deep sigh, I shut my diary and close my eyes as well, imagining times I could spend here with Luz. As of late, I've been catching myself sitting here for hours upon end looking towards the cliff where we somehow defeated “Gromulus The Fear Bringer”, and where my fears came in the form of the one person I missed the most. My powers had a sudden influx that night, and I could tell that It was not just my magic that increased. Opening my eyes, I finally stood up and gently pulled out crumpled papers from my pockets. That read:

**Luz,**

**Will you go to Grom with me?**

**-Amity**

“I was so close,” I whispered as tears threatened to come. But with no use for my confession I silently walk towards the edge of the cliff, and toss the ripped letter into the dark waters below and watch as it sinks out of view. “but yet, so very far away.” I glance up at the sky only wondering if Luz was okay, it was plausibly the only thing I could do.

-Somewhere on an Island-

“AHHHHHHHHH KING I TOLD YOU IT WAS A BAD IDEAAAAAA!!” Luz screeched.

As she sprinted towards the cave Eda was waiting for them in. “I WANTED THEM TO BE APART OF MY DEMON ARMY SO WE COULD TAKE OVER THE WORLD!! MAYBE THEY’RE JUST HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS?!” King screeched back.

Luz swiftly, but barely avoided the sharp crimson stingers that flew past them at inhuman speed.

“King, did you HAVE to pick the murderous demon monsters we were trying to AVOID for your demon army?!” Luz cried as she leaped over another round of razor-sharp stingers. ”Maldició! eso estuvo cerca!” She cursed under her breath.

“It’s simple really,” King said in a nonchalant tone. “A King of demons _must_ have his apprentices to do his most evil and powerful bidding,” King said with his tiny claws raised in the air.

As they finally reached the entrance of the cave Luz pivoted so that she was running around the entrance, which made the beasts chasing them topple over each other. “HAHA TAKE THAT SUCKERS” Luz jested. Not a moment too soon another giant wave of the beasts came shooting out behind them but they looked angrier than before. “Luz...I don’t THINK THEY LIKED THAT!.” King started to say as the monsters caught up with them.

At the last second, the ground beneath them gave way, and Luz and King slid down just in time before the swarm of monsters plowed through straight ahead and were out of reach. Absent of breath, the two sat hidden in a small alcove not too far from the cave Eda was in. “T-that could’ve been worse” Luz managed to speak. “You can say that again,” King replied as he shook off the leaves that caught on his fur.

“If I knew I'd be chased by stinger flinging demons I would have stayed on the Boiling Isles and read the new Azura book with Amity” Luz grumbled with her face in her hands. “Hey don’t be like that, we’ll be back home before you know it. But let’s find Eda first so we can actually “get” home. No demon here is worth risking our lives to recruit anyway.” King said half-jokingly. “Thanks, King, you're right," Luz said genuinely. "Who’s my little cute demon king? You are! Yes, you are!” Luz said as she held King and tickled him.

Their laughter echoed through the small alcove but that was enough to stir the giant beast hibernating underneath the mounds of foliage, as it was hidden. It was much larger than the beats chasing them before as It towered them with its height, and its claws being the most noticeable danger. Spotting Luz and King its eyes glowed a dark crimson.

“H-hey L-luz?” King stuttered.

“Y-yes King?” Luz responded with equal fear in her voice. “Whenever you’re ready I think we should… get goi-” before King could finish an ear-piercing screech came from the beast and shattered whatever confidence the young adventurers had.

“YUP LET’S GET GOING!!” Luz says as she grabs King and starts to run in the direction she came from only to be greeted with a swarm of identical beasts waiting for them.

They had nowhere to run.

-Flashback to arriving at the forest-

“Well kids here we are!.. according to this map I stole from that evil little scammer, Tables, wait no-” Eda rambled on. “I think you mean Tibbles, right?” Luz said as she looked at her surroundings. “Exactly, Tables! Alright, let’s get searching for this so-called “Cave of healing” somewhere on this weird island”.

“Wait, wait, wait, so you're telling me that you trust this map you took from Tibbles?! The same Tibbles who tried to scam us, TWICE?!” King paced. “That’s where you're wrong King my trusty companion, first off I don’t trust _anyone_ ,” Eda quips as she slams an incoming monster with her staff as she walks backward-facing King and Luz. “Or _anything_..” She looks at the now evaporating monster.

“Second, If Tibbles didn’t give this to anyone and had it locked in a safe which I broke into, I guess you can say It has... _Some importance_ to him, Hm?” Eda smiled greedily. “Heh, I guess you’re rig-” King tried to say as he got rudely interrupted.

“AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, you can never scam a professional scammer” Eda gleamed as she pointed to herself. They continued walking and glancing around at the scenery and it was beautiful. The greenery was vibrant as the sunlight hit at the right angle giving off the exotic colors, and the life on the island was different from anything Luz has ever seen on the Boiling Isles. This made her fascinated.

“Hey, King..” She whispered as she pulled King aside “You wanna go explore this island with me?” Luz muttered barely containing her excitement.

King huddled closer to Luz’s leg and said “I don’t know Luz, we came for Eda’s potion ingredient and this isn’t an island many are familiar with.” King stated.

“But we have a map! So that must mean there was more than one person here before! come on it’ll be fun. Plus I'm pretty sure you're the only King on this island,...” Luz jested with her elbow. In which King responded with a barely audible evil giggle that suited him.

Eda suddenly stopped in her tracks, turned around, and asked with squinted eyes, “What are you two troublemakers talking about?” “N-nothing!” King and Luz said in perfect unison. “Hm..” Eda eyed them suspiciously for what seemed to them longer than it was. “Okay then! oh, and by the way, we're here.” They look up and see a gigantic cave and they stepped inside. Luz cast her light spell and quickly illuminated the cave. 

Something started happening as blue vine-like patterns appeared on the walls of the cave and seemed to lead further and further down. Luz was in awe but the moment was broken when Eda’s voice cut in. “Okay before you two do anything stupid I have to warn you of some things,” She left the words hanging in the air for a few seconds to add dramatic effect, “it says on here that there’s a clan of beasts that claim this territory. They call them “Razorback stingers”. Luz and King audibly gulped.

“ Apparently they shoot out these poisonous stingers from their claws, have fur as sharp as razors, steal souls.. and blah blah" Eda crumpled the map with the warning and carelessly tossed it aside. "Anyway, if you see anything suspicious, then by any means do not approach it… I'm looking at you Luz '' Eda warned. “W-why would I do such a thing Eda pfffft you’re silly.” Luz stammered “I mean it, Luz, anyway now that that’s over let's go find that nectar.” Eda said.

As Eda continued ahead, Luz pulled King aside again, and as they shared glances and nodded their plan was set. “Eda? I need to go use the restroom..” Luz fake whined.

Eda groaned without turning around and said “Hurry it up and meet me back here when you're done.” “Okay!” Luz replied excitedly as she and King rushed out and went to explore the island. “Alright, Owlbert it looks like it’s just you and me..” Eda said, but then Owlbert with a quick hoot unhinged himself from Eda’s staff and quickly flew away from the cave. “Wow, thanks for having my back!” Eda grumbled.

Outside, Luz and King observed around. They were entranced by the magnificent colors of the tree leaves and the lizard-like wildlife they saw crawling around them. Of course, King was excited. “MY MINIONS, FOLLOW ME, YOUR KING, AND DO MY EVIL BIDDING!”

A snicker could be heard from Luz as absolutely nothing happened. “Fine then, I’ll go find other, more worthy minions” King left in a huff. “King wait!” Luz yelled but she tripped on a tree root and lost sight of him.

-Back to the present-

“Well Luz, it was nice knowing you..” King shivered as the monsters crept closer.

Just then, an almost inaudible coo could be heard above them, but as soon as it came, it was gone. A shrill voice suddenly rang out “BACK OFF YOU STUPID EXCUSE FOR A MONSTER!!” Eda swooped in and Owlbert quickly hinged himself back unto her staff.

She dodged the almost infinite amount of stingers hurled her way as she summoned fire to burn them and stop the monsters from continuing. After what seemed like ages, smoke rose from the scene of battle. Eda sighed and stomped up to King and Luz who were quivering and had their eyes tightly shut.

“It’s over now you knuckleheads can open your eyes now,” Eda said in an annoyed tone. Luz was the first to open her eyes, “Eda I-” Luz began. “You know what? It’s fine just, stop almost dying all the time?” Eda interrupted as she held out her hand. Luz smiled and grabbed her hand and stood up with King still quivering. “It’s alright now King you can open our eyes.” Luz calmly said. King opened his eyes slowly and ran to Eda hugging her leg and sobbing “IM-SO-SORRY-EDA-I-WON’T-EVER-LEAVE-YOU-AGAIN!”

Eda cracked a small smile “Ah it's alright King.”

"By the way, how did you know where to find us?" Luz questioned. "Well, other than the horde of evil monsters closing in on you both," Eda said with sarcasm dripping on each word. "Owlbert sensed something and then called me over," Eda stated, proud of the mighty brave owl that perched on her staff. "Gracias, Owlbert" Luz smiled as she pats him on the head. A lovely coo could be heard in response.

Eda suddenly coughed half from embarrassment and half because of how much power she used up. Most wouldn't be able to tell the difference but Luz could. Luz went to her and held her by her arm, “Let’s go find your nectar, Eda”. “Sounds like a good plan” Eda smiled weakly.

**\------**

It was late into the night when the crew returned to the Owl House. They found the nectar at the end of the cave after performing some type of eerie dance ritual. Exhausted Luz stumbled to Hooty first, who greeted her in his usual unique way:

“HI LUZ!”

“Ugh, Hooty please not right-”

“THAT GIRL WHO STRANGLED ME LAST WEEK CAME BY! HOOT!”

Luz stopped in her tracks “..now”. There’s only been one mint color haired witch that has ever harmed Hooty to her knowledge.

“SHE TOSSED THIS LETTER AT ME AND RAN AWAY, SHE SAID IT'S FOR YOUUUUU” Hooty teasingly finished as he extended the last part of his sentence. For once Hooty didn’t have to throw up the letter, as Amity explicitly told him not to ingest it, so Hooty left it on the couch inside.

Luz quickly ran in kicking the door Hooty resided in by accident, “OW….HOOT!’ he said offended.

“Sorry Hooty!” Luz shouted as she snatched the letter and ran up to her attic room before Eda or King could notice.

However, Eda did notice. She chuckled, “She’s got it, bad King.”

“Yup,” he yawned as he jumped up and curled into a ball on the couch, “She sure does.”

-In Luz’s room-

“Esto no puede estar sucediendo…” Luz muttered to herself. “I really can't believe this is happening...Amity Blight, THE Amity Blight wrote me a letter?” She quickly broke open the Blight seal that was on the slightly pine-scented envelope. “Maybe scented envelopes are a thing here? Or maybe she wrote this outside somewhere..” As she unfolded the letter it read:

**Dear Luz,**

**I̶ ̶h̶o̶p̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶r̶'̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶o̶k̶a̶y̶, We can reschedule the Azura book meeting for next week. Also, don't forget to study for exams. That's next week too. I̶ ̶m̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶**

**-Amity**

“Aw! this was a nice letter, although I can’t see some of it since it’s crossed out..” she pondered, eyelids feeling heavy, turning it at different angles to maybe see the print better, but to no avail.

Even just getting a letter from Amity was enough to make her somewhat blush from excitement.

A small yawn escaped her lips as she stretched her arms out, Luz took one last glance at the letter.

“I’m glad she reminded me to study for- wait, we have exams next week?!?!?! SINCE WHEN?!?!”

Downstairs Eda smiled as she heard Luz yelling, thinking it’s because of her excitement of getting a letter from her sophisticated Azura loving companion. “Yeah, she has it real bad.”


	2. The Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Sorry this chapter took a while, I'm writing this in parts because of how long it was originally. Pt. 2 is coming soon, I hope you enjoy ;)

After a grueling week of long-drawn, rigorous testing for Luz and her friends, Hexsides exams were finally over. To everyone’s excitement and dismay, the grades were put on display for all to see near Principal Bump’s office. The bell for free period sounded, and all witches and demons alike flooded the halls and huddled around the very large enchanted bulletin, trying to find their names and ranking among the other Hexside students. Luz somehow squeezed herself to the front with Willow in tow, desperately glancing around to find their names.

“What did you get Luz?” Willow curiously asked her friend while fixing her glasses.

“Where do I even look?” Luz asked as she scratched the back of her head, observing the incredibly wide bulletin.

An unexpected blaring noise caught the attention of all the students. The school loudspeaker with Principal Bumps' voice filled the halls. “Hello Hexside, for all our new students let me explain the ranking system!” He said excitedly. “The ranking is arranged by every track in all years. The system goes by how high a student scored in the class out of all the students within that track. However,” he paused. “Only the top ten students of every Witch and demon enrolled in the track, in all years, are listed under the “Top track students” section of the bulletin.” At this news, some people cheered. “For those who do not see their names listen underneath the “Top track students” section must go farther down, where the full list of students attending Hexide has their year, name, and ranking out of each student.”

“YES! I got 10th place on the Abomination track..” She paused, “That’s the only top-ranking I got on any track though.” Luz smiles half-heartedly as she rubs her arm. Willow relaxed her hand on Luz’s shoulder. Sure, It would have been easy to study for one course but Luz had every track color on her uniform so it was twice as hard for her.

“Hey, it’s okay! You must have trained hard for the abomination course. Even I couldn't make an abomination, and I was born with magic.” Willow chuckled “How did you learn to make abominations so fast, I heard that course was extra hard this year?”

Luz perked up at this and Willow could have sworn she saw Luz blush for a small second.

“Amity helped me...mostly.” Luz quickly said.

To this Willow raised her eyebrows, surprised. “Oh?”

Luz then began to explain quickly to Willow how she begged Amity each day after she got Amity's letter, to help her learn how to summon an abomination.

**-Two days before the Abomination exam-**

Amity!!” Luz yelled, running down the hall with her hand waving in the air. Times like this would have been great if it wasn't for the fact I had to deal with Emira and Edric mimicking Luz doing this when I got home. Days went by, and Luz would trail behind me every time we switched for class, and beg me to teach her how to create an abomination for the exam. It was flattering at first but then it became irritating, _fast_.”

Luz came to a screeching halt when she neared Amity and before she could say anything-- “Luz I can’t right now, I’m really busy, couldn't you go ask your other friends?” Amity recoiled at how snippy her response sounded. However, before she could apologize, Luz cut in and said “I’m only coming to you because I know you're the best at it!” she said with a big smile, not fazed at all by what Amity had told her. Caught off guard by Luz’s disregard for her attitude, she said, “A-alright, I’ll think about it..but I’m NOT agreeing to anything yet.” and with that she quickly left, fearing that if she looked at Luz for another second, she would fall apart.

Later that day, during her final abomination class, Amity got a note from someone that was given to her “Ugh? people should be listening to the teacher right now, I don’t have time for this stuff,” she muttered under her breath. Almost crumpling it up, Amity took one last look at the small paper and saw the name…”Luz”? Then it hit her, ‘Is this a confession?’ Amity took a deep breath to still her rapidly beating heart & opened the note to find a small drawing of what looked to be Luz with a blurb that reads:

“Pretty please?”

It was almost comical how someone would go this far for her help. She looked behind her, as the teacher turned around, only to meet gazes with a gleaming Luz looking back at her. A small smile danced on her lips. “I should've known,” she quietly told herself.

Not only out of slight annoyance and pity but mostly because how could anyone say “no” to Luz when she makes that cursed adorable face as she says “Pleaseeeee?” Amity Blight did something she didn’t originally plan to do. She accepted the challenge, of tutoring her hopeless human crush.

The tutoring started small and simple, with learning the basics and learning the ingredients, to which Luz almost immediately mastered. Next came the actual act of summoning the slime monster, and to Amity’s surprise almost came on the fourth try.

“Wow Luz, it looks like you didn’t need my help after all.” Amity teased.

“Pffft, don’t flatter yourself, Blight, I've been practicing on my own to impress the master.” Luz winked, utterly oblivious to how Amity had to turn around and fight down her raging blush and smile.

“Besides,” Luz continued, looking down at her now slowly forming abomination. “I still haven’t risen an abomination yet, but that won’t stop me!!” she declared with her fist in the air. As the rising slush oozed back to the ground from the disturbance in concentration.

“Oh, oops..haha..” Luz sheepishly mumbled.

“Okay Luz, less joking and more summoning, lets try again, shall we?” Amity quipped.

The young witches went long into the night before Amity had to return home. The next day, after school with many failed attempts, Luz finally managed to summon a full-fledged abomination, for only a few seconds. “YES!!! DID YOU SEE THAT AMITY??” Luz yelled excitedly, celebrating with high-fiving her lovely tutoring companion. Amity not trying to suppress her proud smile complemented Luz on her efforts.

“Yes I did see, you did great Luz!” she said as she pulled Luz into a tight hug.

Suddenly, the world must have stopped spinning because Amity could have sworn on her family name that Luz Nocida blushed at their sudden contact. But as soon as it happened they pulled apart both flustered and embarrassed. Luz was the first to break the tension between the two, which could be sliced through with one of Eda’s cooking cleavers. “So, uh, you want to drink some apple blood? I found Eda’s hidden emergency stash and we could use a refresher.” Luz smiled evilly. Amity sighed out of relief that Luz could even speak and bring her out of her embarrassing trance. “Yeah that sounds good.” she weakly smiled.

After Amity taught Luz what she needed to know for the abomination track, the other Blight twins, to Amity’s dismay, taught Luz all about illusions since Gus wasn't available to help that day. Later that night Luz remembered the hug Amity gave her after she had risen her first semi-solid abomination. Both girls didn’t get much sleep that night. However, this was most definitely the start of something new for the magic-wielding teens.

**-Back at school-**

“Hmmm, interesting.” Willow teased with a knowing smile.

“What do you mean interesting??” Luz countered, fearing that Willow might have already caught on.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Willow laughed trying to cover her face as Luz tried to stop her from laughing, only resulting in them both falling into a fit of hysterics.

“Anyway,” Luz sighed moving on to a different topic, “Let’s see where you are on the ranking bulletin!”

Not even three seconds passed and Luz decided to scream so loud, Glendale could hear her, “Wow Willow, you got in the top three?!” Luz gasped in astonishment. Willow blushed out of embarrassment, “Luz! Not so loud” she whispered. “Oh sorry..haha” Luz laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of her neck.

All of the students surrounding the ranking bulletin, murmuring and conversing with one another instantly went quiet. Walking down the sea of students was none other than Amity Blight. It’s common knowledge to anyone that Blight’s are competitive students when it comes to exam season, and she has never gotten any other rank than first. As the studious witch separated the giant sea of students down the middle, she spotted Boscha and her gang which eyed her warily. Amity shook her head which earned a disgusted and betrayed look from Boscha and went straight towards Luz and her friends.

“Hey Luz,” she said nervously while tucking a stray mint colored hair behind her ear.

“Hi Willow.” She waved. Willow returned the gesture. “Amity look!!” Luz jumped excitedly on her toes, “I got 10th on the abomination exam!!” as she pointed to her name on the board. A look of surprise was quickly masked with a small smile for the human girl. “That’s great Luz!” Amity said excitedly.

“What did you get Amity?” Luz questioned.

Amity looked up at the bulletin and saw her name first on the Abomination track listing. “I usually end up getting first on exams so this isn’t such a surprise to me,” she said genuinely. “Woahhh..” Luz said in astonishment, causing Willow to chuckle at the two girls.

"Hey, Willow, aren't you happy about getting the top three in the plant magic track?” Luz smiled. Upon hearing this, Amity smiled in approval towards Willow. Which Willow saw and politely returned. Then a dejected looking Gus walked by almost missing his friends but stopping when he was Luz.

“Oh! Uhh, hi Gus... what's, wrong?” Luz asked in the gentlest tone she could muster, despite the surprise of Gus suddenly appearing making her almost jump out of her skin. Gus didn’t look like himself at all, he had bags under his eyes and his posture was hunched compared to his normally composed self. Luz understood what Willow meant by keeping her success quiet for now.

“My dad came down with Wizards flu,” Guz said looking anywhere but at his friends. Luz looked at him quizzically and began to ask what that meant, not realizing that Willow was frantically shaking her head trying to get Luz not to ask. “Wizards flu is contracted by contact with someone who already had the wizard flu. Usually, anyone that has it coughs up a lot of fairy dust for a couple of days.” He continued, clearly emphasizing “a lot”. “During my exam, I panicked because I overslept the night before. My mom came home late, so I had to help out with chores and my younger siblings” He shuddered at the thought.

“I crammed as much knowledge as I could right before my test and failed.” He said dejectedly as he saw his name as 60th on the bulletin under the illusion track. “What’s more unfortunate, is that I wanted to help you with your studying too Luz.’ Gus sighed.

“Mi amigo,” Luz started. “We all have our rough days, let me know sooner next time so Willow and I could come over and help you! That’s what friends are for!” Luz said as she elbowed his arm, earning a smile from Gus.

Luz gave Gus a small hug with Willow also joining in, to which Amity stood aside watching the three comfort each other. Breaking the embrace Luz asked, “Wait, why did your mom come home late?”

“She went to go brew an elixir for my dad, she’s a professional in the potions field so she runs her own business,” Luz looked at Gus in awe of how successful his mom was. “Did it work?” Luz wondered. “Almost, she needed one more ingredient but didn’t have it in stock, so she needs to wait another couple of days for it.” Gus looked at his friends forlorn.

Just then, a mocking voice rose above the volume of the crowd. “Awww looks like Augustus’s mom isn’t so professional after all, y' know, for running a potion business and all.” Boscha laughed. “My dad never runs out of elixirs, I guess that’s why he gets all the business anyway isn’t that right Augustus?”Boscha smiled, spite lacing every word.

“Knock it off Boscha,” Amity warned. “The last time I saw your father's business wasn't doing as well as Gus’s mothers was,” Amity stated. Audible gasps could be heard from the crowd of students listening in, and even Luz was surprised but mostly impressed.

Boscha’s face turned sour and she advanced towards Amity. Luz desperately attempted to grab Amity’s hand. However, she was just a notch faster and already was face to face with Boscha. As they exchanged a few words, Luz decided It would be best to stay out of this, that was until the growl on Boschas lips turned into a fist aimed at Amity’s head as she turned away.

“Amity watch out!” Luz frantically yelled at her.

She quickly turned to face Boschas fist which was only centimeters away from her face. There was barely any time to react as Luz already made her way towards Amity to save her. Luz’s heroic act resulted in a sickening crunch when Boscha’s fist made contact with Luz’s face. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as Luz crumpled to the ground, and Amity looked at Boscha in horror. She couldn't even fathom why Boscha just went that far. Instantly regretting the action that just took place, the Grudgby captain looked at Amity, then her hand which had a tiny amount of red fluid on it, and finally to the crowd staring at her, terrified. But more importantly, she looked at the one student she cared most about, and the look on their face shattered Boscha in more ways than one.


	3. The Lie Pt.2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes are at the end of the chapter

Amity was _fuming_ , there was no way _anyone_ would hurt _her_ Luz and get away with it. The enraged Blight began stalking towards Boscha with fire in her eyes. Boscha was horrified of what she had just done, but right now she was even more terrified of Amity. Not even after the many years of friendship with the sophisticated witch has she seen her like _this_ before.

“H-hey Amity..look I-I’m sorry! I- I didn’t mean to-UGHHH!” and before the aggressor could finish, Amity shoved her former friend against a locker, hard enough for anyone to lose their breath.

The now giant crowd of students were cheering and provoking the fight from the sidelines, even some teachers joined to see the gory sight. Principal Bums hastily emerged from his office to witness the brawl. The scene was a messy one, Luz was being attended to by Willow and Gus using their magic to try and stop the bleeding. Amity’s face was a deep crimson and her fists were balled up in the collar of Boschas’ now ripped uniform. Boscha’s hands covered her face, with her bloody hand from striking Luz being evident.

“ENOUGH!!” Principal Bumps bellowed. “This will not be tolerated, Boscha you are banned for this year's Grudgby season, and Amity Blight, you will be taken to the delinquent track for this…” He pointed to her hands grabbing Boschas collar. “Violence.” He huffed.

“Wait, no-” Amity desperately pleaded, releasing Boschas collar allowing her to scramble away and catch her breath.

“NO BUTS!” Principal Bumps roared. Amity quivered where she stood, the emotion that came over her wasn't new, but now there was someone else who had just instilled it into her, _shame_.

“Ouch...que duele” Luz groaned. Amity whipped her head to find Luz still lying on the ground, her head being propped up by Willow's lap. Amity rushed over and knelt holding Luz’s hand and helping her rise to her feet. “Dammit Luz…” Amity cursed under her breath no longer caring about the stares she was getting or even the questionable stare from Principal Bumps. He walked over to the now standing Luz and cast a healing spell on her fixing her broken nose as it had never even happened. “Are you okay now?” he asked gently.

“I think so,” Luz said gingerly, touching her now rightly placed. Principal Bumps turned and started to walk away but Luz grabbed his sleeve startling him.

“Principal Bumps wait!” she begged.

“Yes, Luz?” He turned around.

“Amity didn’t _mean_ to harm anyone, you and I both know she isn’t like that,” she glanced at Amity who seemed to be in utter shock of the whole situation to register what Luz was saying. “Boscha’s just being a bully, even after our Grudgby match a week ago, she hasn't learned her lesson.” Luz glared directly at her, to which Boscha cowered under Luz’s steely gaze.

“This is true, I have never seen Miss. Blight acts like this before, still, I can’t simply have her go unpunished for what she did.” Principal Bumps said calmly.

“She was defending me...Is there anything I could do to change your mind?” Luz pleaded. Principal Bumps scratched his chin and then an idea came to him. He rushed back into his office and brought out an old book covered in what looked like to be years of dust. Principal Bumps then blows off the dust and reveals a book that looks to be long before even _his_ time.

There is a test known as the “Trial of Two Truths,” he continued, “ This was a customary system for uncovering all the true intentions of someone’s actions. This test was Hexside's pride many years ago when I was a student here. Lucky for you, I have the exact location of that in this book,” he points with his bony finger to what looks to be a map.

“I must warn you, that this is a dangerous task, are you two willing to put your pride aside to redeem yourselves?” Principle Bumps asked Amity and Boscha. Both girls nodded their heads frantically and in undoing said “Yes, Principal Bumps.”

Principal Bumps closed his book and with a serious face told the five students, “ Very well, those two,” he pointed to Amity and Boscha, “must in go alone.” he continued. “The rest of you,” he pointed to Willow, Gus, and Luz. “May only travel with them as witnesses; However, you may **not** , under any circumstances interfere with the trial, understood?”

“Yes! We understand.” The three squeaked.

“Alright! Here is the map, I will meet you there by nightfall!” Principal Bumps exclaimed, completely changing the grim atmosphere around him. He handed the book to Amity, which was so heavy it almost made her drop to her knees. Despite their differences, each of them knew that this was yet another trial that could change the rest of their lives for better, or for worse.

**-Nightfall-**

As night came, the moon had shown as brightly as it did at Grom, which made Amity even more anxious than before. All five students traveled in a pack, mostly huddled together as they needed to trek through the forest on the long dirt path to reach their destination. Boscha, on the other hand, refused to be near the other four and stood a generous distance away from them.

Suddenly, a chill wind passed through and rustled the bushes and leaves making the group, including Boscha jump. “H-hey at least this won't be like Grom, right?” Luz said, trying to make the atmosphere between everyone less timid. “I guess you’re right,” Willow added, “ Grom was about facing your deepest fears, this is facing the truth.” She finished.

Thoughts raced in Amity’s mind about how maybe her feelings for Luz would be revealed once again, this did not sit well with her. But Amity had to do something to not be placed in the delinquent track. All she wanted to do was sit by the tree she came to love, alone with no one to judge her.

“Ugh, this is so not fair.” Boscha jabbed.

“Oh, you want to talk about _fair_?” Amity challenged. She glanced behind her to see Willow, Gus, and Luz conversing over how chilly it was outside and elixirs to help Gus’s father. Luz then sensed someone watching her and met gazes with Amity, in which they both quickly looked away blushing. “You know what?” she composed herself for everyone's sake, “Let’s just get this over with.”

The group reached what looked to be the ruins of an old shrine, all the students including Principal Bumps were there to witness the trial. Just ahead was a giant slab with characters engraved into it, almost faded. It read:

“Two souls must enter alone, and answer the riddle set in enchanted stone. Once completed all will be revealed. Heed the warning for no one must interfere, or this Trial of Two Truths shall disappear, and forever be sealed.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Boscha remarked, crossing her arms.

“Of course it does! All you have to do is answer a riddle.” Luz reasoned.

“Fine, whatever” Boscha quipped as she walked ahead towards the entrance, earning a few eye-rolls from the rest of the group.

Before Amity could step up to the entrance, Luz grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Amity froze and was at a loss for words, luckily Luz could still speak. “Good luck out there Amity!” Luz exclaimed with her signature smile and head tilt.

“Thanks, Luz,” Amity murmured. Gus waved his cheering flags in the background and Willow gave a thumbs up witch Amity appreciated. Turning back towards the entrance she saw Boscha tapping her foot impatiently but also frowning, not at her but someone behind her. Not thinking too much of it, Amity walked inside with Boscha and immediately the ground below them began to sink, both girls, along with Willow, Luz, and Gus, clung onto each other for balance until the ground stopped shaking and reached the bottom.

They soon realized that the shrine was completely intact, it was all just below their feet. An ominous blue glow came from two small tablets just ahead of them, they rested their hands on the tablets which began to glow the color of their tracks and their names appeared etched into the stone. Two giant doors began to open and a howl could be heard from inside as a giant gust of wind blew out.

The Trial of Two Truths had just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a little short but I promise the next one is very long so stay tuned ;)


	4. The Truth

Both girls glanced around at their surroundings, each step they went a torch would illuminate their path. Nine statues came into view and they both recognized them immediately.

“Are those..” Amity started.

“The nine coven founders?” Boscha finished.

A voice rose from the depths of the shrine looking sanctuary, “Those who have entered here must complete the Trial of Two Truths, succeed and you and your truth will be set free.” The deep voice paused. “If you should fail, your soul will be held and tormented here for all eternity.” The voice faded and two separate paths were illuminated, one for each student to go through.

“Why does Principal Bumps _always_ leave out the part where we could _die_ ,” Amity grumbled. Meanwhile, Boscha was running the opposite way banging on the now sealed doors, “GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!” She yelled. “Boscha, let's just get through this, the trials shouldn't be that hard,” Amity said to reassure Boscha, but more so herself. “The more time we waste here, the less time we have to get home, so stop whining already, and let’s go,” Amity said with a huff.

“B-but-” Boscha tried to argue.

“No, you got us into the mess and you're going to help me get out of this.” Amity went forward and waited for Boscha to follow, after a few seconds Boscha came and they went down their separate paths.

Amity was the first to reach the tablet waiting for her far ahead, it read:

“To the world, I am desired by many, but in the shadows, I am feared by all, what am I?”

As she finished reading the riddle aloud, a light illuminated the dark space in front of her. The lights looked very similar to the lights Luz would summon from the papers she drew her glyphs on. Amity smiled, knowing that Luz couldn't see how happy she was, having something that reminded her of her Azura loving companion in a place like this. It made her feel a little safer. A tree stood tall in the center of the room, it was the same tree from Grom night. Amity moved adjacent to it and held her hand against the bark and watched as the petals gently fell to the ground like they always do. Near her appeared an axe, and the low voice from before could be heard again speaking directly to Amity.

“Your task, young one, is to chop down this tree. Then you will be set free.” It said as it faded away once again. Amity looked at the axe and then the tree, the same tree that with her Luz’s combined magic grew together. She couldn’t do it.

“I-I can’t cut it down, it means a lot to me.” she pleaded, Amity was shocked, did she say that just now? These were her feelings she kept hidden within her since that night, how was she even sure this was true? The tree and axe faded but the lights stayed, then, she saw her parents. They were scolding her but she heard no words come from them until the same deep voice came through their mouths. “You must leave that human behind,” it said. “She will only bring you down further” it continued.

No longer taking it Amity started to run, but she wasn't alone this time. Something was chasing her. The book said nothing about monsters, she thought, but low and behold she was being pursued by one. The lights that followed her gave away her position, and she created as many abomination hands as she could to stop the monster but all her efforts were in vain as whatever was chasing her dodged them. Still unable to see what exactly was chasing her, she reached a dead end with a similar tablet from before. It read:

“What am I?” 

The thing finally caught up to Amity and very slowly walked into the light. Now, there were two figures and the tree could be seen again. The lights grew brighter and Amity saw herself with Luz. They both looked older now, and they were holding each other's hands and looking lovingly at each other. Amity felt something tug in her heart and a silent tear of joy rolled down her cheek as she smiled. Amity turned away from the sight and back to the tablet. She uttered only two words.

“The truth.”

The wall crumbled and the tablet cracked, exposing the exit of the shrine. She was free to leave. As she stepped out into the night she could see Luz, Willow, and Gus waiting on the other side. As the Hexside students saw Amity they cheered, and Principal Bumps went to her and said “Amity Blight, by completing this test you have redeemed yourself and your intentions, your punishment has officially been revoked.” The Hexside students began to cheer again and relief washed over her as she ran to Luz, Willow, and Gus, despite only knowing them for a short while. After they embraced, Amity turned around and the sight was no longer there. Whether that was a figment of her imagination or a vision, she decided that It would be best to keep it to herself. Maybe one day she would tell someone what she saw.

“Did you see Boscha anywhere?” Willow asked, a worried look on her face. Amity paled, remembering what the voice said in the shrine. She didn’t want to see Boscha in anguish knowing what would happen if she didn’t pass the test. “No, I thought she was with you already,” Amity said concern lacing her voice.

“I have to go back,” Amity said looking at Principal Bumps.

“You cannot intervene with her trial, dangerous things might happen if you do.” He firmly stated.

“I can’t just leave her there!” Before anyone could respond, Amity was running back into the shrine as the lights followed her once again.

“Amity wait!!” Luz shouted as she chased after her friend.

“Come on Gus, let’s go help Luz and Amity!” Willow told Gus, both running into the fray.

**.....**

After what felt like forever, Amity finally reached the first tablet at the entrance. However, upon closer inspection, it was cracked down the middle. She ran quickly to the other side of the room but slammed into a semi-invisible barrier that shimmered yellow as the young witch collided with it. “UGH! Curse this place..” She murmured under her breath, touching her forehead and wincing from the stinging sensation, a trickle of blood ran down her face but she attempted to break through the barrier regardless. She was not about to let this ancient shrine take Boscha away from her. Footsteps were then heard coming down the hall at an alarming rate towards Amity, in which the Blight turned around to meet a tired and concerned-looking Luz.

“Luz! What are you doing here?! You can't be here!” Amity questioned.

After catching her breath Luz said, “I can’t let you do this alone, we have to save Boscha without anyone getting hurt,” Luz said She glanced up at Amity to see a trickle of blood on her forehead, Luz went towards her and held her face looking into Amity’s eyes like she was searching for something. Amity couldn't resist looking away as Luz was inches away from her, and said something about “not having a concussion”. “How are you feeling now?” Luz asked, a hint of worry in her voice while stopping the bleeding. She handed Amity a band-aid which she quickly applied, silently thanking the floating lights for dimming slightly. “I-I’m fine, I bumped into this barrier and this is where Boscha is -” Amity said, but was cut off by what seemed to be a Gus war cry from the path Luz and Amity came from.

“AHHHHH-Woah!!” Gus shouted as he stormed through the entrance almost tripping over the cracked tablet, and Willow quickly catching him by his collar before he fell. Willow was the first to speak up, “We know we aren't supposed to be here,” Willow started, “But we want to help too.” Gus finished. Amity was astonished, but she couldn’t tell if it was from how brave or stupid they were for joining her in this rescue mission.

“Okay fine, we don’t have time for this! I can’t get through this barrier that leads to Boscha,” Amity huffed. Luz began to look around as Amity explained to the group how the test works. “...After I solved the riddle the wall crumbled and the rest is history.” She stated.

“Hey, guys?” Luz yelled as her voice echoed, “Do you see these statues?” Luz gawked. “Yeah, Boscha and I saw them as we came in,” Amity affirmed. “They’re the nine coven founders, they must have come here and built this place,” Amity said looking at the towering statues.

“Wait a second,” Gus started, “Didn't you mention that the barrier behind you as you started the test was “orchid?” he questioned. Willow nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, what’s so important about that?” Amity asked, clearly not catching on.

“Amity! Don’t you get it?” Luz asked excitedly, running up to the barrier and stopping in front of it. “If the nine coven founders built this place that means all the tracks are included in this test, so when you started your test your barrier color was orchid signifying the abomination coven.,” Luz stated, she then did something Amity never expected to do. Luz ran into the barrier.

“Luz, NO!!” Amity yelled, but then realized Luz was on the other side, unharmed. Luz smiled, “Boscha’s barrier color is yellow because she’s in the potion track, and since I'm in all of the tracks, I can get through all the barriers!” Luz laughed plastering on her signature smile. The moment didn’t last long as a terrifying scream filled the shrine, it was Boscha. Everyone's face twisted with worry as the deep voice from before came through addressing the trespassers.

“Those who have interfered with this trial must face the consequences.” The voice faded away leaving an unnerving silence surrounding the young witches. The ground beneath them began to shake and the shrine began crumbling down with them inside. The eyes of the nine coven statues glowed their colors, activating the security system within the shrine. “Quick! Grab my hand everyone!” Everyone rushed towards Luz while dodging the falling rocks and pushed past the barrier. The lights followed Amity and they stumbled onto the first tablet set for Boscha that read:

“Once kept I am kept eternal, once given I can never return, what am I?”

“Do any of you know the answer to this?!” Amity asked hurriedly. They all shook their heads, Boscha had to know what it meant. They all continued towards the screaming, and the lights chased Amity as they avoided the giant rocks falling above them. Finally, they reached Boscha who looked drained and terrified. Amity looked over to Luz and Gus and whispered, “Can you distract it for me?” Luz and Gus both nodded. Amity then glanced at Willow and said, ”Okay Willow you're with me.” to which Willow nodded firmly as well. She then looked back to the figure and for a split second, it was facing her. It wasn’t the same two figures seen for her trial, instead, it became tall and wore a white cloak. The figure started to walk into the light for everyone to see but Luz and Gus started shouting at it, breaking Amity out of her trance and the figure along with it. Amity raced towards Boscha and Willow did the same.

“Are you alright?” Amity asked Boscha, checking for wounds as Boscha covered her face, she only found bruises and a few small cuts.

Boscha straightened and looked at who was touching her shoulder .“W-why are y-you helping me?” Boscha asked, looking frightened not at Amity, but Willow.

“You were in trouble and we came to help you!” said Willow calmly.

“N-no, I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!” Boscha yelled. Amity worriedly looked at Willow and a silent form of communication passed between them. Willow went near Boscha to calm her down since the figure being distracted by Luz and Gus was becoming aware of what was happening.

“Boscha listen to me,” Willow said firmly while helping the Grudgby captain sit up, “I need you to think about the riddle, what does it mean to you?”

“I-I don’t know,” Boscha stammered.

“AMITY, WILLOW, WATCH OUT!” Gus and Luz shouted as the figure came rushing towards them and began shapeshifting. The deep voice came through the figure, repeating the riddle over and over until the words became jumbled causing everyone to cover their ears. When the shapeshifter reached Boscha and it slowly melted into Willow and spoke in her voice, mimicking the young plant casting witch. “Don’t you have something to tell me?” the figure asked mockingly in WIllow’s voice. The figure, without waiting for an answer, twisted into Gus’s mother.

“Mom…?” Gus murmured.

“Your father and I have very different meanings of success.” She said bitterly. The figure then turned into Boscha herself, “You know the answer, why can’t you...tell us?” the figure said, with its deep voice fading back in towards the end of the question.

“What did you need to tell me..?” Willow asked gently, trying not to alarm Boscha. “Why did my mom say that?” Gus asked, nearing Boscha calmly.

The figure pressed on and with its voice louder now, the floor underneath them crumbling.

Ｗｈａｔ ａｍ ｉ？

“SECRET!!!” Boscha screamed. “YOU’RE MY SECRET!!!” Boscha finished, tears flowing down her face. The shaking of the shrine ceased and gigantic stones stopped falling and an eerie stillness settled in the air. The tablet near the wall cracked and so did the wall behind it revealing the exit into the night. The voice came back:

“You have passed The Trial of Two Truths. Having repeated a single lie many times, the truth will always prevail.” and it faded away permanently. Bosha looked away embarrassed, as the disintegrating figure that had chased her faded away. As the air around them cleared Luz could be seen lying on the ground holding her head, groaning.

“Luz!” Gus and Willow yelled quickly approaching her and coming to her aid. “Eda me va a matar si se entera de que me lastimé de nuevo.” Luz murmured. “Eda’s going to kill me if she finds out I got hurt again..”

“IF, she finds out.” Gus countered as Willow gave Luz herbal medicine she’s kept in her pocket to cure pain instantly. As Willow and Gus were tending to Luz, Amity was with Boscha trying to help her calm down.

“Boscha, it’s over now,” Amity said gently. Boscha refused to move or respond to anything Amity was saying. Amity sighed, “Okay look, if you're going to be like this, at least don’t be like this around them.” Amity said pointing to Willow, Gus, and Luz. As Amity started to walk away towards Luz and her friends, Boscha spoke up:

“Thanks, for saving me or whatever,” Boscha mumbled, Amity just laughed.

“Hey! I’m trying to be nice!” Boscha complained.

“Okay Boscha, you’re welcome. Just do me one favor in return though,” Amity turned now facing Boscha. “Stay away from Luz.” Amity smiled then lowered her voice so only Boscha could hear her, “She’s mine.” For the first time, that night Boscha genuinely laughed, “There's the Amity Blight I used to know.” Boscha smiled.

“Also, I also have a favor to ask you,” Boscha asked.

“Yeah? what is it.”

“Look, I know that I've been a bad friend and all but,” she paused. “Is there any way I can make it up to, you know...” Boscha looked behind Amity towards Willow. Realizing who Boscha was talking about, Amity was taken by surprise, but she settled for a knowing smirk that made Boscha blush.

“Just, don’t mess this up like you've done everything else, okay?”

“Yeah, don’t worry Blight.”

With that, the two witches made amends. However, Amity still needed to check up on her wounded human before they could leave. “Luz!” Amity frantically waved as she ran over. Gus and Willow were helping Luz stand when Amity hugged Luz so tight that Luz almost fell backward before catching her footing.

“WoaH!...hahah I see someone was worried about me.” Luz jested.

Amity’s face was in Luz’s shoulder but she still responded, “Shut up…”

Willow and Gus exchanged looks and decided not to ruin the moment for the two. “Oh, Willow,” Amity said, releasing Luz, “Boscha said she wanted to talk with you about something, do you mind?” Amity sweetly asked.

“S-sure..” Willow nodded. and walked off to find Boscha glaring straight at Amity but blushing at Willow.

“Ha, she’s such a mess” Amity muttered underneath her breath.

“So are you!” Gus countered catching Amity off guard, blushing. “If we don’t get out of here soon, there’s so much dust everywhere, it’s getting my uniform dirty too.” Gus finished.

“O-oh yeah you’re right” Amity sheepishly stated. They began to exit with Willow and Boscha talking and laughing, and Boscha talking with Gus for a little bit. Amity was behind them with Luz helping her balance as they walked out of the cluttered shrine.

Something caught Amity’s attention as she looked to her right to see a cloaked figure. Alarmed Amity went to warn the others but the cloaked figure vanished before she could say anything. Luz saw the look on Amity’s face and asked: “Hey, are you okay, you seem shaken up..”

“No...no I’m fine.”

They all left the shrine and it sank deep into the ground below. Principal Bumps caught sight of them and pardoned Boscha’s punishment as well. After the cheering and the end of the trials, everyone left to go home. Amity held onto Luz as they walked towards the Owl house, stopping to rest periodically.

“I can probably walk the rest of the way from the- Woah! Is that the Grom tree?!” Luz gasped astonished. The moon illuminated the cliffside exposing the breathtaking pink leaves with the wind gently rustling them.

“O-oh well, I forgot about that, haha.” Amity tried to say.

“I didn’t!” Luz smiled, not noticing the half-hearted lie Amity made.

They both made themselves comfortable sitting at the trunk of the tree and gazing over the cliff into the night. As romantic as it sounded, Amity was sweating bullets. “Sometimes I come here to get away from all of the chaos Eda and King stir up sometimes,” Luz sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them but when Hooty gets involved…” Luz laughed. Amity couldn't believe that Luz also came here, it seemed as though this tree had some significance to her too. She also thanked every star in the sky that she didn’t bump into Luz when she came to visit.

“By the way,” Luz asked, breaking the silence, “What was your trial about if you don’t mind me asking.” Amity stiffened but was prepared to answer this question because she was expecting it one way or another.

“You know...I’m not so sure myself, but I do know that when I figure it out you’ll be the first to know.” She said with a soft smile. Luz seemed content with this answer since she smiled back and began to rise on her stumbling only a little.

“Woah, hold your brooms there Luz,” This got an adorable snort from Luz which made Amity weak to her knees. “I love how the Boiling isles have almost similar phrases to the ones I have back home…” Luz trailed off.

Amity had completely forgotten that Luz needed to one day go back to the human world, but for now, with Luz leaning against her, she wanted to cherish every moment she had left with her human. As they neared the Owl house Eda threw open the door with King angrily, but cutely, marching behind her.

“Luz, just where have you been?! King and I have been so worr-” Eda started, but then stopped seeing Amity supporting her. Luz sported a lopsided nervous smile towards Eda, which made Eda eye her warily and cross her arms. “King, could you go get the healing slime and some wraps from the kitchen?” Eda asked in a monotone voice. “Sure!” King yelped and scurried inside with his little legs.

“DO YOU WANT MEEEEEE TO HELP TOOOO???” Hooty asked.

“Yes Hooty, you can help by staying quiet..” Eda sighed, picking up Luz and carrying her inside.

“OKAY!! I'M GOOD AT STAYING QUIET” Hooty loudly responded.

Amity stood watching as Eda was about to go in, but then the Owl Lady stopped. “Hey kid,” she looked at Amity, “Thanks for watching Luz.” She winked, a silent knowing smile crept on Eda’s lips as she knew how Luz was able to make it home.

“O-oh umm yeah! No problem.” Amity stammered, blushing.

“Do you want to come inside?” Eda offered.

Amity waved and insisted that she needed to get home before her parents did. On the way home through the thick forest, she felt a presence behind her and whipped around already summoning an abomination. But nothing was there except a chilly wind that made her shudder. She looked down at her feet to see a letter that landed right in front of her feet and decided to open it. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the parchment that read:

**Dear Amity Blight,**

**Due to your perfect scores and astounding talent for magic, the Emperor's coven would like to personally invite you to join in the ranks underneath Emperor Belos. You will be tasked with an assignment of bringing a special book as a gift for the Emperor. In three days time we expect a response.**

**Congratulations.**

**-Kikimora**

Amity rolled up the scroll and a smile crept to her lips as she ran home and showed the scroll to her parents. She was completely unaware that the scroll was not a real invitation from the Emperor's coven and lurking in the shadows, was a powerful witch who would do anything to see her sister again. Even if that meant sacrificing one of her pupils.

That night something sparked in Luz, and even though she was trying so hard to not reveal her feelings for Amity, they only intensified by the minute. “Maybe, I’ll tell her someday. When I find out, she’ll be the first to know .” Luz smiled to herself.


	5. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~This takes place after the Agony of a Witch episode~

It was another quiet morning in the Owl House, and the atmosphere almost felt still compared to the normal ruckus that would happen within the home. Luz woke next to King in Eda’s nest, who was clutching tightly onto her shirt with his face buried in it, tissues scattered all around them. It had been a rough night for Luz, King, and even Hooty who wasn't his normal cheerful self after learning that Eda had disappeared. Luz didn’t go back to Hexside, she wasn’t mentally well enough to attend her classes, so she stayed home for a few days. Willow and Gus made their way in to check on Luz after a few days of absence without any communication from their human friend. They decided to give her some space after a few unsuccessful attempts at getting her to leave Eda's home. At night, when Luz knew she wouldn't be bothered, she went to the tree she and Amity grew on Grom night. Somehow being near that spot comforted her. She would end up sitting there for hours thinking about her time left in the Boiling Isles, and how she would have to leave her friends to return to the human realm, she yearned for time to stop before summer was over. It was times like these Luz needed to clear her head. Amity wasn't anywhere to be seen, and a tiny part of Luz wished to see her even if she didn’t say anything to her except hug her. Still, after all the visits she had gotten from her loyal friends, a certain green-haired witch repeatedly snuck her way into her mind. 

Back in the nest, King finally opened his eyes and stretched his tiny limbs, scratching his belly. Anyone could see that even King, who slept _a lot_ , didn’t get much sleep at all. 

“Uh- morning Luz..” King yawned, dark circles form his lack of sleep evident on his face. 

“Hey King,” Luz responded half-heartedly, climbing out of the nest. “Are you making your famous human food again?” King asked shyly, holding his stomach from hunger when it gave a small growl. Luz cracked a smile at how limitless King’s hunger was, “Alright King, meet me downstairs in five.” she said, giving King a peck on his head and heading off towards the kitchen. The front door swung open and Hooty greeted Luz in a slightly less intense manner than usual, which surprisingly didn't faze her at all. 

“Morning Luz, Hoot..” Hooty greeted. 

Luz managing to smile back greeted the Owl demon, “Morning, Hooty.” 

She began whipping up some Mangu and Salami that her mom taught her to make when she was younger. Tossing in some more ingredients that Luz knows King enjoys, she started to plate the meal and was about to call King, until said King of Demons burst down the stairs tripping over something in the process causing the item he was clutching unto to fall in front of him.

Luz dropped her cooking ware and rushed to the now face planted King, “Oh! Dios mío! King what are you…” She trailed off, she looked at the object King was running with and it was a really large book. She picked King up and held up the book so he could take it back.

“Wow, King I didn’t know you liked to read, especially really big books,” Luz stated. 

King huffed and pushed the book towards Luz’s hands forcefully, causing her to take a few steps back, “Luz! This book contains everything known about the Emperor! We could use this to find Eda!” He exclaimed. Luz was surprised that King could have found this important book but also stumped as to how she’s never seen it beforehand. 

Luz hesitated to reach for the literature King was holding, “Wait- how did you even find this book anyway?” 

“When I was getting out of Eda’s nest I tripped on something and it turns out this book was stuffed in the nest but a corner was poking out,” King stated. “It seems the author's name was smudged off for some reason, which is weird….but it doesn't matter, let’s open it up!” King smiled as his tail wagged in excitement.

Luz examined the book and tried to make out the smudged mess of the author's name. Most of the print on the book was faded, any longer and the title would have been illegible. A sadness washed over Luz as she realized how hopeless she was without her mentor. King snuggled up to Luz causing her to return to the present, proceeding to open the feather-covered book from Eda’s nest. King sat next to her as they looked closely at all the written articles about the Emperor. They were fascinated to find so many facts that weren't mentioned in class or to the general public. It was almost like it was a personal diary that was published secretly. Luz didn’t think Eda read any books, instead, it would be something Eda would steal to sell later. Something still seemed off to Luz, even Amity with her love of the Emperor's coven probably didn’t obtain this edition. 

“Luz, do you see that?” King said pointing to the title on the page, it read:

**_𝔈𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔯 𝔅𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔰’𝔰 𝔎𝔫𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔚𝔢𝔞𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰:_ **

**𝕳𝖎.....𝖆𝖘𝖐.𝖆𝖓...𝖙𝖍𝖊..𝖎.𝖊.....𝖎𝖑...𝖆𝖈**

“Ugh the print is faded, I can’t see what it says..” Luz stated, impatiently tapping her foot. Still trying to translate the page, her temper faded and was replaced with visible confusion and..hope. “Wait, king, who would have been close enough to Emperor Belos to know his weaknesses?” 

King crossed his arms and held his chin deep in thought, “I don’t know, but that is a good question.” Luz shut the book and stood with her fist clenched, King looked visibly confused when Luz ran out of the room and up the stairs. 

“W-wait Luz, where are you going?! What about breakfast?!” King huffed, catching up to her in her room. “King..” Luz said, she turned around with a cloak now draped over her from when Eda made it. Plastering a confident smile, and stashing many glyphs in her pocket along with the book in her right arm she looked at King with determination in her eyes, almost like dancing flames.

“Let’s go get Eda _back_.” 

\--

Every day after school since she received that letter from Kikimora, Amity has been going to visit Lillith in preparation for her inauguration with the Emperor’s coven. Upon hearing the news of Amity getting invited to join the coven, Lilith was more than delighted for the young witch. All of her lessons and hard work was finally paying off, and all the pieces were falling into place as Amity as her successor. Lilith promptly extended her invitation towards the Blight Family to _personally_ instruct Amity for the inauguration ceremony, to which Mr. and Mrs. Blight agreed to immediately. 

A stern voice could be heard inside of the practice arena where the witches convention once took place. “Alright, do it again,” A sudden flash of violet flooded the room and where once stood an empty arena was now a giant abomination that stood, ready to attack. Amity had beads of sweat forming on her forehead from the amount of power she was displaying. “Good, don’t falter now..” Lilith warned, rounding the young witch, forming another barrage of spells at her fingertips. 

Now as the two witches are alone, Lilith did not hold back in making sure to instill her lifelong teaching to her young successor. 

“Remember, that in the fight, your voice is _nothing_ ,” Lilith continued as she summoned her shields and sent disks flying towards Amity, to which the young Blight barely missed catching her on the arm. “But your power,” Lillith spoke, passion rimming her voice as she continued to relentlessly project fire from her staff. Amity hissed in pain and the Giant Abomination copied her movements falling unto on one knee. “Is **_everything_ **.” Lillith finished. 

Lillith began to stalk towards Amity holding a bright flame in her palm, ready to land another strike. This time Amity had a trick up her sleeve, she was _ready_ this time. “Oh, Lillith...please...stop..” Amity fake begged to clutch her now cut arm that was bleeding slightly from one of Lilith's flame disks. A soft look overcame Lillith as she now approached Amity extinguishing her violent flame. 

“Oh dear.. Amity are you oka-” 

A fury of abomination slime was hurled towards Lillith catching the experienced witch off guard, which rarely happened. The shock was quickly replaced with steely concentration and a hint of satisfaction for her student. Lillith successfully dodged the barrage of slime coming from the abomination Amity was still holding with her quickly fading magic. However, when Lillith advanced she was held by her shoulders by a smaller abomination behind her. An evil smile appeared on Amity’s lips, something Lillith never saw before or wanted to awaken. With a small flick of Amity’s wrist, the abomination flung Lillith to the ground still securing her hands while the taller abomination raised its fist in preparation to end the fight. 

Lillith saw the darkness in Amity’s eyes as she began having the abomination lower its mighty fist. Lillith pleaded, “Amity! Don’t do this!” 

The Blight stopped in her tracks as she came to her senses, guilt flooding her as she pulled back the fist and evaporated all the abominations leaving Lillith on the ground. “I’m sorry!” Amity said nearing Lillith to check if she was hurt. “Are you okay? I didn’t know what came over me I-,” Lillith rose to her feet and went towards Amity who was frozen still, she rested her hands on Amity’s shoulders and smiled approvingly. 

“That was excellent Amity I am very proud of you,” Lillith paused, she saw the glint of awe in Amity’s eyes and proceeded to state, with a wide toothy grin, “I believe you are finally ready for the Inauguration ceremony, meet me near Hexside at exactly noon, we have much to do and so very little time.” Lillith began to walk away but stopped and turned to meet Amity's gaze “Oh and one more thing, don’t forget your task of bringing your offering to the Emperor, it would be a shame if you disappointed him so early on.” With that, Lilith strode off leaving Amity feeling proud yet incredibly anxious. After Lillith left Amity wanted to collect her thoughts. 

“I’ve been working my whole life for this moment. There is _no way_ I would fail the emperor. Mom and dad would be so proud and maybe Emira and Edric would stop bugging me, and Luz would be so happy for me-” Amity paused, “Oh, yeah...I wonder how Luz has been. I haven’t seen her at school recently...she hasn’t come to our Azura club meetings either.” Amity spoke downcast. The thought that since she had some time before she had to meet with Lillith she could go visit Luz since she hasn't seen her friend in a couple of days since her trial. 

Amity often spent her time at the Library in hopes of Luz returning to their secret club, as well as to visit every section in hopes of uncovering a specific book that would please the emperor, when Luz wasn’t there of course. 

_-Flashback-_

Strolling down the mystery isle Lillith’s voice echoed in Amity's head, “There is a specific book that contains important information on the Emperor, he needs to retrieve it before anyone else gets their hands on it. The book has not been uncovered yet but It is _very_ important to him,” Lilith bent down to Amity’s level to look directly into her eyes, “You must find it for him before the inauguration, as this is your first test. Do _not_ fail me.” Lilith sternly stated. Amity stood tall and feared that if she broke eye contact Lillith, her mentor would make her train for another four hours straight. 

“D-do you happen to know the title of this book?” Am, there were millions of books but she wasn’t given any information even describing the color of the tome. 

Lillith replied, “According to our sources, the book is titled, _The Unauthorized History of the Boiling Isles._ ” 

“I’ll do my best to find it,” Amity stated sharply. 

A day went by, and not only did the young successor scour every inch of the Boonesborough library, but she also checked the town archives as well as her family’s collection of Boiling Isles history. Which was practically every book ever written regarding the Boiling Isles. Surprisingly, the book was not in any of these places. 

“Well, it _is_ called the “ _Unauthorized_ History of the Boiling Isles..” Amity huffed beneath her breath. Her last attempt was recommended by none other than her siblings, Edric and Emira.

Amity was in her room sulking, she couldn’t figure out where, or _how_ to find the dreaded work of literature. “If this was so important, why couldn’t he ask Lillith to do it?” Amity sighed into the open air. 

Amity started to walk around the arena some more and summon a few abominations to practice with, time flew by when an intruding thought clouded her mind. 

“I have no idea what came over me when I was facing off against Lillith, I just felt angry for some reason,” Amity muttered softly, rubbing her arm for comfort. The atmosphere instantaneously darkened and it felt as if the air was being sucked out of the room. Amity couldn’t move she tried but all she could do was blink, she couldn’t control her body anymore. 

A deep voice echoed within the arena, “ _𝒞𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓊𝓈, 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓈 𝓃𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔. 𝐿𝑒𝓉 𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊.._.” When the voice faded away, Amity fell unto her knees and gasped for air, somehow the oxygen that vanished seemed to return into the arena where Amity stood, and she could control her limbs once again. She didn’t recognize the voice that spoke to her but she didn’t have the time to, noon was fast approaching.

Amity left the arena and saw the time which showed 20 minutes until noon. “It's already almost noon?! I have to go get ready!” With that, the young Blight headed towards Hexside after getting prepared for her trip to the Emperor's Coven, where she would soon be of use to the Emperor. 

\--

During the quiet afternoon in the Boiling isles, shouting could be heard inside the Owl House. 

**_“ YOU'RE WHAT!? ”_ **

Luz dedicated to going tell her friends about her going to save Eda before she went adventuring with King, it was the least she could do. 

“I’m going to bring Eda back, King and I both.” Luz started seriously, glancing at King. In which Luz got a nod back. 

Gus and Willow were visiting Luz once again to check up on her. Not expecting what they saw, Luz stood in the living room, their human friend in a witches cloak and a staff looking combat-ready with fire in her eyes. Her friends could tell that Luz meant business but knowing Luz and her reckless habits, “Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you?” Willow asked with a hint of worry lacing her voice. 

Luz nodded, pulling her friends into a tight embrace that lasted a little longer than it normally should. 

“We’re sure,” Luz paused, trying not to let her uncertainty overcome her voice. “Right King?” 

King climbed unto Luz’s back, and rose his fist in the air, “YEAH, LET’S SAVE EDA!” They all laughed at King’s cute outburst but Gus and Willow still had weak smiles plastered on their faces. 

“Oh, come on guys I’ll be fine! Luz assured them, showing them her “You can trust me” look in her eyes. Gus and Willow exchanged looks and it seemed that they both came up with a conclusion. Willow looked at Luz and firmly placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, 

“Luz, you’re our friend. We’ve made it this far together… so let us help you do this.”

“Together,” Gus added, also placing a firm hand on Luz’s other shoulder.

Luz started to tear up but wiped her eyes before any tears could form. Willow continued, “ I don’t know how many times I need to tell you this before you can get it into your thick human skull, but you helped us come out of our shells and made us who we are today. We couldn’t have done this without you, Luz!” Willow finished.

“Alright, alright,” King said, walking in between the witches. “You heard them, Luz,” King said now facing his human. “We have their support, SO LET’S GO STORM THE CASTLE!!” 

“Woah hang on there chico, we still need to make a plan,” Luz added. 

“Don’t worry about that Gus and I already made one on our way here.” Willow laughed. 

The three witches and King spent most of their afternoon preparing and planning their raid on the Emperor's castle, not realizing who and what was already there waiting for them lurking in the shadows.

\--

Amity soon neared the gates of the Emperor’s coven, spotting her mentor in the distance. The Blight was ready to prove her worth to the Emperor, Lillith, and herself. She was taking in all of her surroundings when a familiar voice abruptly interrupted her thoughts. 

“You’re late" Lilith vitriolically quipped, standing near the gate to where Amity finally approached. 

“How late am I?” 

“Exactly two minutes.” At this response Amity sighed, mildly annoyed. 

“Let’s get going, then. I don’t think you’d want to keep the Emperor waiting, right?” Lilith didn’t wait for a response from Amity, and Amity knew better than to say anything, so she followed Lilith down the hall. 

After a series of corridors and dimly lit halls, Amity and Lilith reached the Emperor, beside him were what Amity assumed to be the people who worked in the castle. Silence fell over the arena once the Emperor was made aware of their presence. Lilith immediately dropped to her knees and Amity did the same, almost as gracefully her mentor. 

“Thank you, Lilith. Welcome, all! A special welcome to our yet to be the newest member Amity Blight.” A cascade of synchronized claps could be heard, almost lifeless except for a few hollars from one side of the stands.

“I’m sure you are very anxious to start, so I won’t take up much of your time. Your opponent here is Ludwig, one of our strongest coven members within the coven,” Amity studied Ludwig, and the glint in his eyes and the sly smile he gave her already put her on edge. He was quite tall and slender, with stiff silver hair combed over to one side in such a rigid fashion. He closed his eyes for a few moments, mouthing words to himself.

“There’s no time limit. The match ends when one of you either resigns or,” Belos paused. “If one of you _dies_. Best of luck.” Amity silently gulped, but nodded and took the traditional stance for any magical bout with her right arm raised and fist clenched, feeling it inappropriate to say anything with everyone’s eyes now on her and her opponent. There was no going back now, this is what she wanted...right?

“Shoot-” Amity cursed underneath her breath as she nimbly dodged another one of her opponent's illusion spells sent her way, nearly cutting her in half. The spell crashed on the other side of the arena and shattered with a loud bang that received loud cheers from the audience. It was quite obvious from the lack of applause for the Blight that they had a certain victor in mind for this duel. 

A mocking voice rang through the built tension in the battleground, “Just give it up newbie.” Ludwig shouted across the arena, gaining a few chuckles from the crowd. 

Soon laughter filled the room, and Amity grew angry, Ludwig was striking a nerve and he knew it. Both highly skilled witches were fiercely fighting, however, beads of sweat had formed on their foreheads and dripped from the amount of movement they were enduring. Breathing hard, and keeping their eyes locked on each other, exhausted was an understatement. Amity answered by summoning another of her abominations from behind him and swiftly taking Ludwig off his feet. 

Ludwig chuckled, “Already tired? Ha, you don’t belong h-WOAH!” 

Amity wasted no time advancing towards her opponent, she sported a small smile to herself not letting her moment of luck come across as such to the entirety of the coven. As Amity neared her opponent, her hand began to form a bright purple circle, conjuring the giant fist from practice. Ludwig struggled against the Abomination’s grasp but he was a second faster and sliced through the smaller abomination holding him down. The fist came down with immense force on top of Ludwig and the dust from the ground flew up into the air making it impossible to see anything. 

Coughing, “Ugh, where did he go?” Amity impatiently asked, worry lacing her voice. 

A hand grabbed her shoulder, “Right here..” and before she could turn she was shoved unto the ground. Anger racing through her veins, Amity shouted, “ABOMINATION RISE!” and the spell cast the slime monster who attacked Ludwig with impossible speed, and shattered the teen. 

A chuckle could be heard, “Oh, an impatient one, you would be a _great_ asset to the coven, newbie.” 

The dust settled and there was Ludwig, looking somewhat shaken beginning to stand, staggering in the process. His shield, cracked with a giant dent, collapsed in front of him. If she only had a little more power she could have _killed-_ no, she can’t think like that. There was another look on his face she didn’t see earlier, was it fear? The young Blight could sense a familiar deep stare from behind her, Amity mover her head to see Lillith next to the Emperor, who was watching ever so intently, with her eyes squinted in a way she knew all too well. During training, when Lillith knew her young successor wasn’t giving her all, she would give her this famous glare that clearly stated:

_“No. more. games.”_

Amity felt as though she couldn’t go on any longer. Most, if not all, of her energy, had been drained from her, and she wasn’t sure that she could summon another abomination. She could tell Ludwig was getting a bit tired too. Amity began to lose focus, despite hearing Lilith’s many aggressive reminders in her head. Her mind drifted to a comforting scene, and she felt as if time had stopped before her. She was sitting beneath the Grom tree on a warm afternoon, the breeze blowing gently. Soon Luz appeared in the dream, smiling at her and saying something although Amity couldn’t hear what Luz said. All Amity wanted to do was be near Luz, knowing that everything would both be okay. After all, this is what Amity wanted most of all, more than the cove-.

Suddenly a streak of fire caught her thoughts and shaking her head she stopped her mind from drifting too far off because Ludwig had finally stood erect and he looked _angry_. The silver-haired witch rapidly conjured fire from his palm and flung it towards amity which she easily avoided approaching Ludwig with a small smile. 

Amity was ready, she was ready to finish this duel once and for all and become part of the emperor's coven. Something within Amity ignited as if she was being liberated from some type of bind, she felt _freer_ somehow. 

With all her remaining strength she conjured another fist-shaped abomination, but it wasn’t just one this time. It was _three_. 

A barely audible whisper came into her head, the same one she heard while practicing with Lillith, 

“FⁱⁿⁱSʰ ʰIᵐ,” it growled. “𝙘 _l_ 𝙖 _i_ 𝙢 𝙮 _o_ 𝙪 _r_ 𝙥 _l_ 𝙖 _c_ 𝙚.” 

She could have sworn that in the corner of her eye Lillith was holding out her hand as if to stop Amity, and the Emperor was, _standing??_ Her muscles clenched as a barrage of flames tempered with her patience, she was fighting her inner thoughts. This isn’t her, this isn’t like her. 

“No, no, no please I can’t hurt him I-” Amity pleaded with the voice. 

“FⁱⁿⁱSʰ ʰIᵐ,” it mocked.

Amity screamed out, no longer able to bear the pain and mental strain the thoughts are causing her. “NO! UUGGHHH **_STOP_ **HURTING ME!” Then as if her struggling was over, her body went slack, Amity’s eyes rolled to the back of her head from the amount of stress and pain that was put on her mentally and physically.

_“𝘾L𝘼I𝙈 𝙔𝙊U𝙍 𝙋𝙇𝘼C𝙀”_ the voice hissed. 

Her eyes became a deep dark shade of gold, almost lifeless looking. It was this moment where Amity gave in, she released the hold she kept on her abominations and they dropped down at a speed not seen before, Ludwig barely could cast a shield until a bright blue flash interrupted the match. Lilith took her staff and formed a very strong barrier around herself and Ludwig, the abominations Amity summoned dented her shield a fair amount which proved how strong Amity was. After the abominations fizzled out Amity collapsed and Lillith rushed towards her. 

“Amity a-are you okay? What happened to you?” Lilith questioned, worried for her student. 

“I-I’m not sure, I remember hearing a voic-” Amity tried to say.

The Emperor's voice boomed throughout the whole area, a pin could drop and it could shatter the veil of silence that fell upon the room. 

**_“LILITH CLAWTHORNE.”_ **

The Emperor gripped the arms of his throne so tightly it was starting to crack, his voice then became sickly sweet. He was controlling his temper but everyone had already seen his outburst, the attempt was futile. 

He was seething, “Please meet me after the ceremony, _privately,”_ Collecting himself he stood and raised his hands motioning for his followers to stand along with him. “The match has come to an end!” The audience clapped. “However, because of certain _circumstances_ , I am unable to claim a winner.” Amity sighed from relief, she didn’t have to be let down or embarrassed for losing this match because of her actions. “So I will let the audience decide!” Emperor Belos stated gleefully. 

“W-what?” Amity questioned in disbelief. She was not alone, Ludwig looked like he was slapped across the face and Lillith had her eyes wide but she kept silent. The Emperor lifted his arm towards Ludwig’s side of the arena and then asked, “Those who wish our Ludwig to be the victor please commend him.” A generous amount of applause was gifted to him and his shocked look quickly turned smug as he faced the nervous witch standing opposite from him. 

Emperor Belos lowered his arm and raised his other, “Those who wish for his opponent, Amity Blight to be our victor tonight please commend her.” Silence. There was nothing, Amity’s head began to swarm. This was the end of her life's work, all of her hours of tireless training, worrying and studying, was for nothing. There was a stray clap that caught her attention, then another one, and finally the arena erupted into gigantic applause. Her thoughts no longer threatened her but they were replaced with pure joy. She turned to Lillith and jumped into her arms giving her a hug not caring if the coven saw her. Lilith looked down at her student proudly. 

“You have done well Amity,” Lilith began.

“Welcome to the coven, young one!” Emperor Belos finished appearing next to her.

Amity silently bowed and quickly distanced herself from Lillith, afraid of what would happen to her if she clung unto her any longer. Her mentor stood frozen for a second but bowed and moved far away. Amity saw the betrayed look on Ludwig’s face and began to talk before she was interrupted. “Welcome Amity Blight, your official coronation will begin after our celebratory feast! You have proved yourself and your worth to me, now you will take your place alongside Ludwig as a captain.” Ludwig’s mouth slacked. 

Quickly he covered the grimace on his face, “Yes, Emperor Belos.” 

“Very well,” Belos stated, the applause started to die down but before she could stop herself, Amity’s vision became fuzzy and her vision dimmed fast. A few audience members in the stands above was the last thing Amity saw before she blacked out in the Emperor's arms. 

\--

The sky darkened and the light pink sky faded into a deep navy with a few stars already showing, littered throughout the night sky. After a couple of hours of planning from Willow, the plan was set in motion. "Wait, could you explain it again.” Gus questioned scratching the back of his head. 

“Sure! Luz will sneak inside the castle while you, Gus, create an illusion of emperor Belos and direct the guards away…” 

“OH! yeah that sounds good.” Gus smiled deviously, which earned a chuckle from Luz. 

Willow coughed signaling back Gus’s attention, which was successful. “I will clear up pathways crowded with coven soldiers as well as breaking those weird pipes in the hallways to create a diversion if things go south.” Willow finished. 

Luz inspected the plan once more, “Hey Willow?” 

“Yes, Luz?” 

“There seems to be another person labeled on here, who is tha-” Luz tried to say before Hooty made a shrill scream. 

“UUHHH OHHHHH I SEEE A BULLY AHEAD!!! HOOT! AH-” 

A muffled voice outside could be heard and judging by Hooty’s cry they must have punched him. However, before Luz could open the door and face another threat and possibly a surprise attack, the door swung open to reveal Boscha in her Grudgby letterman, chewing gum and typing on her scroll. 

“Ugh is this the place? It smells like the locker rooms in her-” 

Willow hurriedly got up and embraced the jock before she could say anything else remotely offensive. Boscha tensed up and almost dropped her scroll, which she flawlessly caught thanks to her Gurdgby captian-like reflexes. 

“O-oh hey, babe…” Boscha blushed. 

“ WHAT?! WHEN?!?!?!?!?” Luz and Gus sputtered, completely taken aback, absolutely no one could have seen this coming, even from seven Grudgby fields away.

“Oh, I might have forgotten to mention that Boscha and I are… a couple now. After the trial we started to talk a lot more, and... She confessed to me not long after that.” Willow smiled, pecking her girlfriend on the cheek, which left Boscha practically glowing a deep crimson in response. Flabbergasted Luz approached Boscha and stopped directly in front of her. In a low, almost threatening tone, Luz uttered “If I see _ever_ see Willow unhappy in _any way_ , _Habrá un Infierno Que Pagar.”_ Boscha couldn't understand Luz’s human languages but she understood enough that it was a threat of some kind. “U-uh okay Luz,” Boscha nervously agreed, “no need for your human antics..” she mumbled. 

King tugged on Luz’s cloak, ever so impatient, “Anyway, now since that’s settled let's continue our plan!” 

“Alright King,” Luz agreed. The four teens sat on the couch in the entrance of the house with warm mugs of apple blood and drawings of their previous plans scattered throughout the room. Boscha with her dexterity and nimbleness is to follow Luz for backup as a bodyguard, silently taking out guards in their path. Without saying, this was a really risky task, any slip up could mean the whole rescue mission would fail. There's no telling what Emperor Belos would do to them if they got caught. 

“Woah..” Gus audbly gulped. “Are you okay with this Boscha?” 

Boscha nodded, “I know we didn’t start on the right foot or whatever, but if this means a lot to you Luz… I’ll help you out,” She paused “Even if it means I have to take out a few losers in our way.” Laughing dryly, looking away out of embarrassment. If there was a record for how many times Luz could be caught off of her guard in one day, she would have broken it by now. It wasn’t too long ago that this same person who is risking her life to help bring Eda back wanted her dead for being kicked off the Grudgby team.

A lump was caught in her throat from the giant wave of emotions overcoming her, “Thanks Boscha, that means a lot.” 

A comfortable silence fell upon the group until a shrill winning could be heard, “Hey! what will I do?!” King asked, pumping his fists in the air in protest. 

Willow knelt near King and whispered some words into his ear which completely changed his attitude making him more excited than he usually was. They put on some protective gear found in Eda's weapon closet as well as some weapons like: An axe that burst into flames for Boscha, bone-nunchucks that became invisible for Gus, and a few potion enhancers for plant magic for Willow. Luz not needing a physical weapon stashed as many glyphs in her pocket that she could before her hand cramped from drawing too many. Luz took King and Gus on Eda's staff with Owlbert, who guided Willow and Boscha on a separate training staff from school Boscha borrowed on her way to the Owl House earlier that day. As the chill wind brushed across their faces, the five teens set out nearing the Emperor's coven. All Luz could think about was seeing Amity again, and wondering where she was and how she was doing, but for now, tonight was the night Eda came back to them.

\--

Everything was silent and cold. Amity's golden eyes fluttered open to the sound of hushed whispers coming from outside the room she was in. She shot up and looked at her surroundings, it seemed to be an infirmary, and she was resting in a nicely made cot. Upon further inspection, she saw a cloak, mask, and the Emperor’s coven’s insignia on a chair nearby with a note attached. She jolted out of bed but became dizzy and her sight blurry, staggering back onto her cot.

“Okay, let’s...take this slow..” Amity huffed. She sat straight and stood, slowly advancing towards the chair which she clung onto as she got near enough to do so. She first picked up the note, it read: 

**_A.B,_ **

_Meet me in the throne room_ _immediately_ once _you awaken._

_I have some good news to share with you._

_- **Emperor Belos**_

Amity suddenly became nervous, she picked up the white silk cloak with the coven's insignia as a clasp. She brought it over her shoulders and it rested very nicely upon her, barely weighing a thing. The moonlight poured through the narrow windows of the castle and illuminated her face. She saw the raven-like mask lying on the chair, took it, and put it on her face, blocking the rest of her vision other than what was in front of her. She was a part of this coven now, whether she liked it, or not. 


	6. Mind over matter pt.1

Amity arrived at the doors throne room shortly after she got dressed. Two golden armored guards with different insignias let her in, immediately bowing as they opened the large steel doors. She stepped into the spacious but dimly illuminated room. Around her were what she could have sworn were thousands of his guards. Half-burnt torches surrounded her along with the many tables that were arranged inside. Amity couldn't comprehend why there would be tables in the ‘ _Throne room_ ’ but she was not one to question the Emperor aloud. She approached the Emperor and bowed, after no response for a few seconds she rose awkwardly, desperately remembering Lilith’s many lectures on mannerisms. Trying to calm her shaking hands.

“I sincerely apologize for my tardiness... Emperor Belos.”

He waved it off, “It is quite alright, you have much to do since you are well rested now, join me brothers and sisters in congratulating Amity Blight in joining our Coven and rising in our ranks as a captain!”

Immediately, the same almost lifeless clapping ensued and Amity felt sicker than she was excited. “Come now and feast with us!” Emperor Belos proclaimed once more. Amity joined at one of the nearest tables with all eyes watching her every step as she moved, she remained across the Emperor while being beckoned by him. As she convened everyone began to feast, she looked at the array of choices in front of her and picked only a few choices she was familiar with.

Belos spoke to her, “Amity, I know you have only become a captain and this is your first day. However,” he paused, “Since you have completed your designated purpose I don’t see a need for your mentor...do _you_?”

The tone in his voice made it seem that there was only one answer and she knew what it was. This was a challenge, one she could not win. The vague memory of Lilith preventing harm coming to Ludwig from Amity’s rage returned to her. He wanted to punish Lillith, but she was only protecting them both from what Belos wanted. Amity had to stop him before he could do anything to Lilith.

“O-oh, yes, I was meaning to talk with you about that-”

“I’m so _glad_ you agree.”

He stood and motioned for her to follow him, which she reluctantly did. As they neared the hallway into what seemed to be a dungeon of sorts, chains could be heard clanking against a wall as if someone meant for them to break. They turned the corner and inside the neglected-looking cell, was her teacher and mentor since childhood, Lilith Clawthorne.

Belos straightened and began to speak, “Lilith, I hope you are doing well.”

Lilith started to speak but was silenced when thorn vines began to wrap themselves around her hands, an unmistakable sign for her to not respond.

“Amity and I were just discussing how she no longer requires you as her mentor, isn’t that right, _captain_?”

“U-um I-”

Footsteps began knocking down the concrete steps and Ludwig came in a hurry. “Emperor Belos! There has been an attack!” he said, out of breath from running down the many halls.

“ **W h a t**?” Belos screamed.

“It looked to be a cloaked person with paper glyphs and a small dainty looking creature-”

Amity felt sick to her stomach, the only person on the Boiling Isles she knew that used paper Glyphs was none other than Luz Noceda.

“ ** _STATION EVERY GUARD AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE CASTLE_**!!” Belos screamed. Ludwig bowed and ran up the stairs faster than he came down. Emperor Belos then turned to Lilith in her cell once again and gave her an icy glare that made Amity shudder.

“Amity, I do apologize for this but It seems that the guards have a small issue on their hands.” He paused.

“Do you happen to know who this intruder is?” He started slowly advancing towards the young Blight. She must have shown the terror on her face for far too long.

“No, I do not...”

“Are you telling the _truth_ , Amity Blight?”

“Yes, Emperor Belos, I would never lie to you...”

She was shaking and Amity could have sworn that she heard Lilith try to mutter something about “resisting” but Amity was too focused on not letting her lie slip. He put his hand on her head and paused there for a little longer than she anticipated. Her knees suddenly became weak and her eyes started to roll to the back of her head. Lilith was thrashing around in her cell and the vines on her mouth loosened.

“AMITY!! **FIGHT** **IT**!!” She screeched. Lilith started to claw the rusted shaky bars but to no avail did it budge.

However, her protests fell on deaf ears. Amity’s mind became dark as night and her consciousness was forcefully being invaded. The same familiar voice that always appears when she felt alone, and then controlled her at her weakest state came through.

“I _don’t_ appreciate lies, Amity Blight,” Belos spat.

He tossed her aside as if she was merely a rag doll, and a sudden vicious rumble shook the castle almost knocking Emperor Belos out of balance. Giving enough time for Amity to get up while clutching unto the cell bars. Belos took Amity by the hand as he gained balance and placed his hand on her head and uttered a spell. Amity’s vision began to blur, hearing Lilith’s faint sobs fading into background noise, she tried so hard to fight but the darkness kept invading her vision and her mind. Her last thought was of Luz, she kept repeating in her mind, ‘Luz, I’m so sorry, I never got to tell you how I felt. . ..’ everything succumbed into darkness and then, light. All things became one, one voice, the same as every time before. Amity‘s conscience was now under the control of Emperor Belos, and according to the book written about Emperor Belos, no one was ever able to break his hold on their mind.

Not without an irreversible cost.

\--

Luz walked in the broken window with Boscha beside her. Willow and Gus went on the other side of the castle to distract the insanely enormous multitude of guards.

“I guess they saw us coming...”

“You THINK!?” Boscha yell whispered.

A few guards up ahead were running their direction and both girls froze behind a wall, silent hoping no one would pass them.

Guards rounded the corner speaking in a hushed tone, “Are you sure you heard someone?”

“...Let’s check the other side,”

“He is angry today..”

“I heard Emperor Belos took control of the new captain, Amity?...”

Both guards scurried off in the other direction, their voices fading away. That was until Luz sprung from their hiding place and Boscha slapped her palm against her head from frustration and ran after her. Luz threw an ice glyph underneath their feet and the two guards turned, only to meet a cloaked figure pouncing unto them. Luz tapped the paper, the ice entrapping their legs, they were frozen.

“ ** _Tell. me. where. she. is_.**”

The guard trembled, but one that seemed to wear a different insignia spat, “ _Ugh_! it's the human scum… I’ll never tell you where she is.”

Boscha then came behind Luz with a flaming ball in her palm, “Wait, I couldn’t hear you,” She put it near the guard's face and yanked off their mask showing a silver haired captain, Ludwig.

“Say that _again_ for me,” Boscha tipped up his chin, revealing the fear in his eyes.

“S-she’s-” “SHE’S IN THE THRONE ROOM, GUARDING THE EMPEROR. HER MENTOR IS IN THE DUNGEON!!! LEAVE US ALONE!”

Ludwig grimaced at his patrol partner, and Boscha took Luz to the side.

“We have what we need, let’s get her back.”

Luz nodded, throwing one last warning glare towards the guards.

\--

“I think we got them all…” Willow whispered, sneaking with Gus inside the castle.

“Well, yeah! I mean you summoned a 20-foot tall VINE MONSTE-mhpf!”

Hurried footsteps paced down the hallway as Willow pulled Gus into a room and shut the doors before the guards could notice. Soon the footsteps fade away and there was only their heavy breathing.

“ _Mmpphh_!!”

“OH! Sorry, Gus." Willow shyly apologized.

"It’s okay Willow" Gus laughed

"You did well handling those guards with your bone-nunchuks, even if you _almost_ knocked yourself out when they became invisible.” She giggled. 

“Pffft, Y...yeah well, they were just my warm up partners. But in any case, I- Woah…”

Willow looked up at what Gus saw. The dim light that showed through the heavy clouds washed over old bound books and dusty shelves. There was a shelf in the center of the enormous candlelit library, empty except for candles surrounding it, Willow felt a tugging sensation towards it.

“It’s the library.”

“I feel like it’s calling me towards it,”

“Willow, are you crazy?! This is the Emperor’s castle we're talking about.”

“Just- trust me.”

Willow walked towards the center of the library, as she got closer the more the feeling intensified, Willow felt her satchel come loose and a book fell out, the book Luz entrusted her with that could erase Belos’s very existence. A magical force snatched the book and set it on the isolated shelf with a loud thud.

The pages flipped open on their own and stopped on a page where it showed:

𝔈𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔯 𝔅𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔰’𝔰 𝔎𝔫𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔚𝔢𝔞𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰:

𝕳𝖎.....𝖆𝖘𝖐.𝖆𝖓...𝖙𝖍𝖊..𝖎.𝖊.....𝖎𝖑...𝖆𝖈

The candles went out and extinguished with a huff. The only light was from the small window above them, like an eclipse, that too was huffed out. Gus and Willow were left in the dark. A glowing green light radiated from the book, finishing the words:

𝔈𝔪𝔭𝔢𝔯𝔬𝔯 𝔅𝔢𝔩𝔬𝔰’𝔰 𝔎𝔫𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔚𝔢𝔞𝔨𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰:

𝕳𝕴𝖘 𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖐 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖎𝖑𝖊 𝕾𝖆𝖈𝖐

“His mask,”

“The Bile sack”

Gus and Willow looked at each other, “We need to tell Luz.”

A roar came from underneath them, startling Gus.

“WoAh okay, time to leave!”

Gus tried pulling Willow away from the room as she took the book with her.

“No, wait, the roar sounded…..distressed?”

The roar came again, weaker than the last.

“Willow, please don’t say what I think you're thinking..”

“We need to go check that out.”

\--

Luz and Boscha were in what appeared to be the dungeon. It was damp and reeked of death. The winding cobblestone halls trailed for what seemed like miles. Bent and rusted cell bars and darkness were ahead. Only the small ball of light in Luz’s hand and Boschas fire could illuminate the silent hall.

“I hope Willow and Gus are okay..” Boscha huffed.

“Me too...you know, I never really liked how you treated Willow before, or, everyone for that matter…” Luz sighed.

Boscha stiffened.

“But, I can see that you changed, and… I’m kinda happy for you both.”

Boscha smiled, “Yeah, I had some _serious_ personality issues. After Willow and I talked it out after the trials, I knew she wanted the best for me. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if Willow wants this, I'll do it for her. So, yeah, it's not much but thanks Luz.”

Luz smiled and lightly punched her arm to which they laughed, and they continued walking for a while until something stopped them in thier tracks.

Slow footsteps other than their own and as it got closer deep shallow breaths, almost forced, became louder. Luz and Boscha got into defensive positions and a cloaked figure came into view. It staggared and stumbled, breathing harder now. But something was off, red eyes gleamed through the raven like mask, the figure threw off their hood. Luz and Boscha gasped in horror at what they saw. It was her, Amity Blight. But she wasn’t _Amity_ right now.

Luz stepped closer to her gently reaching out, “A...Amity?”

Amity smiled and her voice was not her own, but a deeper one instead. She was being controlled, like a puppet. Her once honey-colored eyes were now a blinding red.

“ G I **v** E m E **T** h E b O **o** K hUMA **n**...”

“What..” Luz whispered, frightened tears began to stroll down her face and she backed away slowly. Boscha stood guard in front of Luz, “Amity! Wake up!” small tears began to streak down her face too. A low growl escaped Amity's lips, and she advanced, ripping bricks from the ground leaving a gaping hole underneath her. Boscha quickly threw a smoke position to distract the now possessed Amity, she took Luz’s hand and yelled.

“I-I can take care of this, **_RUN_**!”

“NO...I can’t leave you!”

“UGH Luz, why do you need to make everything so _**HARD**_!”

With that, Boscha shoved Luz away from her before Amity tackled her to the cold, hard ground. In only a few seconds they were lost in the smoke. Screams and growling echoed off of the walls in the dungeon, but Luz shut her eyes, blinking back tears, and kept running. All the while hoping that Boscha would be okay. While she ran down the dark hall with small orbs of light trailing behind her, she rushed footsteps echoing bounced off the walls seemed to startle a prisoner nearby. Luz halted and looked, she moved closer to see Lilith now in her ripped uniform slumped against the bars.

“Lilith?”

“Luz…”

“I’m not going to ask why you're in here because I already have a thought,” Luz said bitterly, making Lilith wince.

The young witch began to walk away before Lilith called out to her, “Luz wait! I can help you.”

Luz stopped. “I now see what Emperor Belos’s true intent was, and...I was w-wrong…”

Luz didn’t turn around.

“You caused all of this, how am I supposed to forgive you now!?” Luz threw an ice glyph causing the ice to sharply point at Lilith’s face, she didn’t budge.

“I can help you get Amity back, and Eda.”

Luz hesitated for a moment and gave in, if she wanted to free Amity, she needed to do it now. “Okay, Lilith” Luz started, “I’ll let you help me, free your sister and Amity. If I sense at any moment you will betray me again, you’ll wish you stayed in that jail cell.”

“I-I understand,” Lilith said fearfully.

Luz used the rest of the ice glyph to widen the bars and Lilith snuck out, her powers now returning to her after being out of the 'anti-magic cell'.

“Okay Luz, first, we need to find Eda. I’m sure your friends came too, we need to find them fast.”

“Why..?”

Lilith grimly looked at the insignia badge on her uniform and ripped it off, “One of them has the key to free us all.”

\----

“Do not block the exit at the back of the castle. While you are at that, release the witch tamed Edalyn Clawthorne from her holding cell, I have plans for her.”

“But Emperor Belos..”

“I’m sorry… did you not _**understand**_?”

“W...w..we did Sir! Of course, Emperor Belos!”

“T..there was a captain reported to have been captured, along with a guard Emperor Belos.”

“Who is this captain?”

“Captain Ludwig sir..”

“Leave him, he lost his place here.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

The guards scurried off and carried out the orders, as they left Emperor Belos faded into nothing, and Willow high-fived Gus. “Yes! You were so good Gus!” Willow hushed whispered.

“Thanks, Willow, you too!” Gus whispered back.

While Gus had been slowly disarming the security, Willow had been planting small seeds underneath the pipes. At her command they would explode and crush the pipes, allowing one of the Emperor's lifelines to be severed. All was going according to plan.

Another roar came, but this time it was closer. Willow and Gus seized the chance and ran for a doorway leading into an armory room of some sort.

“Do you think we can find Eda in her-”

“Yes”

“What? I didn’t even finish..”

Willow pointed to something in front of her, and Gus looked. It was Eda but in a beast-like form.

She stood tall and was staring down at the two witches.

“Sooooo, I guess I was being a little too loud, huh?”

“EDA!!”

Willow and Gus ran and hugged the now unshackled Eda, crying into her fur.

“Aw guys...wait a minute, why are you here? Where’s Luz?”

“She’s trying to get you back! But she hasn’t come here yet..”

Willow joined in, “But don’t worry she isn’t alone, she has Boscha with her to protect her from any danger.”

“You mean the Grudgby captain?”

Gus chuckled, “Yeahhh, it’s a long story.”

“It doesn't matter, but what does is how Emperor Belos lost his marbles and had his goons let me go..”

Gus nervously scratched the back of his head, “Yeahhh, that's another long story…”

Rushed footsteps interrupted the reunion, Willow and Gus stood at the ready as well as Eda in her beast-like form. Luz was the first one down the steps and she looked completely exhausted. Willow and Gus ran to her as well as Eda cautiously approached the human girl.

“LUZ!” “GUYS YOU'RE OKAY!”

The three friends hugged each other tightly and were all glad that everyone was there. Lilith then came afterward, her ripped white cloak waving behind her in her defeated state. Willow and Gus defensively brought Luz behind them, ready to fight for her if necessary.

“No, please I’m not here to harm any of yo-”

“Willow, you want to strike first, or should I?”

“I’ll gladly take you up on that offer Gus” Willow smiled.

She began to summon twisted sharp vines to wrap themselves around Lilith's now weak frame, but Luz jumped in to stop Willow.

“Wait!! It’s okay… she’s here to help us.”

“WHAT?!” Willow gasped.

“Luz you never cease to surprise me, humans are so unpredictable,” Gus said, astonished.

Lilith knelt in front of the three teens and her sister, “Please, I beg of your forgiveness. I wish not to harm any of you but to help you defeat Emperor Belos.”

Gus folded his arms, “How can we trust you, you were all buddy-buddy with Emperor Belos and now you want to betray him?”

“I understand your hesitation,” Lilith began to stand. “Emperor Belos promised me that he would heal Edalyn, but instead he turned back on his word and betrayed me and my sister. To me, now I am nothing to him and this coven…” She frowned, pointing to all around her.

Luz, Gus, and Willow said nothing. Luz couldn’t help but notice Willow was looking rather pale than usual but right now she needed Eda to get out of this castle.

Lilith stepped towards Eda who eyed her warily, bearing her large fangs.

“ ** _Lilith_** ,”

“Not now sister, we need to help Luz and defeat the Emperor.”

Eda nodded, a hint of a grin dancing on her lips. Lilith rested her head against Eda’s and a brilliant light flashed as she recited a spell.

Eda returned to her normal self, no longer with wings, nor standing ten feet tall. Her left eye was now grey and her small attempt to use magic failed, but she was back, Eda was back. Eda smiled back at Lilith once it was over, and headed over to Luz, and knelt to now face her at her level.

“You're one tough kid to be taking down crazed psycho Emperor. But you're my kid so..just don’t get yourself hurt, Luz.”

Luz and Eda shared a hug that lasted a lot shorter than she wanted because the footsteps of guards could be heard nearby. Eda and Lillith went near the window to look for a possible exit when King floated upwards and greeted them in his usual King-like manor.

“Eda! And you...get on witches this broom wand ride itself!”

“Oh King how I've missed you and your convenient timing.”

“I know! I but my job isn’t done yet sister,” King said with his sassy hip swaying.

“Now, go forth Albert, to the Owl House-WOAH!”

As the two sisters flew off to safety, Willow gave Luz the book that identifies the Emperor's weakness and updated her as to what Gus and Willow have done. As they entered the library again and caught their breath, Willow spoke: “We already got the seeds under the pipes, so when you give the signal they will explode. His weakness is the Bile sack in the throne room and his mask"

“Good, now all we need is to shatter his ma-”

Willow grabbed Luz’s hand and tugged on it, Willow looking paler by the second. Gus looked at Luz, a worried expression on his face.

Willow shakily breathed out, “H..hey Luz, where's Boscha..?”

Luz’s eyes widened and the temperature in the room dropped. She almost forgot Boscha’s effort to save her after she found Eda. She failed to let Willow know where her partner was, and if she is still even alive.

“Willow, I...I’m so sorry, Boscha pushed me away from Amity to save me, and she was attacked in the process..”

Tears began to stream down Willow's face, and a grim silence surrounded the teens. Gus went to hug Willow as small sobs racked her body. Luz joined as well, they stayed like that for a bit, then suddenly Willow clenched her fist and stood upright. A new emotion overcoming her sadness, _determination_.

"We _have_ to find find Boscha."

"Agreed" Gus, and Luz stated in unison. 

"We also need to save Amity from Belos's control," Gus added confidently.

"...And _defeat_ Emperor Belos once and for all!" Luz finished.

As the teens began to plan thier new strategy, Luz smiled to herself and thought, 'ha, this reminds me of volume five where Azura bands together with Hectate to save one of thier friends that was in danger. I never got to finish it but I wonder how it went..." 

Suddenly the doors rammed open, shards of metal flew everywhere and a guard came bursting through the doors. Kikimora, Emperor Belos's right hand assistant in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School has been pulling me away from writing this fic, (r.i.p my free time) but I am writing more so sorry for the wait!


	7. Mind over matter pt.2

“DAMNIT AMITY WAKE _UP_!” 

Boscha was getting tired of this and needed to find a way out _fast_ . Bruises and small cuts littered her face and hands, and her magenta hair was pulled from its usual neat bun and stuck to her face from the sweat she acquired from fighting this long. They've been wrestling for what seemed like forever, tossing and clawing each other around the damp darkness that surrounded them. The neglected dungeon only somehow managed to only get darker and Boscha couldn't see anything other than the demonic red glow of her friend’s eyes. She thanked the nine coven founders for Willow lending her some spare distraction potions to use, but she had one left to use, and she needed to use it wisely. All Boscha had left to defend herself was the hatchet she acquired at the Owl House that burst into flames. This, however, was her _last_ resort. 

“ g I Ve mE tHe bOok” 

“I don’t have your stupid book!” Boscha gritted through her teeth. 

Somehow through the one-sided arguing, Amity had gotten the upper hand. The Blight was now on top of Boscha, doing her best to claw at her and even bite. Occasionally throwing a hard punches left and right, striking Boscha in the face. Unable to take much more, Boscha used all of her strength from grudgby training to hurl Amity off of her and into the rusty cell bars closest to her, _hard._ She threw unto her a purifying potion that sizzled on her skin. This allowed Boscha enough time to catch her footing and stand. Amity- no, the demon let out an unworldly shriek, similar to a banshee echoing down the endless tunnel. Boscha wasted no time gaining the upper hand by grabbing a shackle from inside the cell, to clasp around her hands. 

“Please, Amity if you’re still in there, just f...fight it.” She coughed out, rushing to catch her breath as she fumbled with the shackles. 

Amity struggled against the chains so much, the bars began to slightly bend with each violent jerk. She snarled, growled, and cried until she foamed at the mouth, trickles of blood dripped down her forehead which she had gained during the brawl by slamming it against the grimy cobblestone. After a few agonizing minutes, Amity’s body went slack, and only choppy shallow breathing could be heard in the dingy, abandoned nightmare underneath the castle. 

Her shaky breath stopped, and Boscha inched closer, the soul of her shoes stretching against the gravel to closer inspect her now seemingly unconscious friend. Amity’s uniform was scuffed beyond repair. Her normally kept hair was just as disheveled as Boscha’s, as it stuck out from all angles. As for Boschas varsity jacket, bite marks and claw marks decorating every inch of her clothing, and even some on her hands and arms when she tried to protect herself. 

“Boscha…” 

Boscha jerked her face up so fast, she thought she cracked her neck. It sounded like Amity’s voice. I _s she back to normal now?_ Many things inside her screamed not to give in to what might be a trick. But if there was an ounceof Amity still left within her, Boscha needed to weed it out while she still could. 

“Amity, is it _you_?” 

“Ugh, what happened?” She groaned. 

“Amity, answer the questi-”

“I think I’m fine now, can you get these chains off?” 

“Oh, um yeah.” 

Boscha took the flaming hatchet in her hands and struck the heavy shackles on Amity's wrists, releasing Amity from the binds. Aiding her friend, she helped her up, but she felt like she weighed triple her size. A soft red glow came and went in a blink of an eye and Boscha thought she saw it in Amity’s eyes. Something wasn’t right, this was _too_ easy. As if on cue, Amity kicked Boscha to the ground, her eyes a deep crimson and her voice not her own. It was a trick. 

“ YoU FoOl” 

The mangled sound of her laughter made Boscha sick like someone- _something_ was squeezing the life from her voice. Boscha tried to scramble away from Amity, but she realized that Amity was holding her arm. Amity was hurt, but the demon did not care.

“ **STOP** , YOU’RE HURTING HER!” 

Amity smiled, she limped over to the nearby cell holding her arm. Boscha knew what was about to happen and she pushed Amity away from any sort of metal object she could hurt herself with. There's no way on the Boiling Isles she would let some demon hurt her friend like this. 

A flash of white ripped past the two teens and standing there, at a towering height was none other than Emperor Belos himself. 

“My, what do we have here, a gifted witch fighting an unwinnable battle..” 

Boscha spat at Belos, “You’re wrong, _you_ are fighting an unwinnable battle.” 

“Oh?” 

In unfathomable speed, the emperor rushed towards the grudgby captain and lifted her by her jacket collar. The air from her lungs vanished and she was choking for air. He dangled her from eye level so she was far from the ground, her hatchet somewhere in the dark hall never to be found without someone's touch to ignite the flame. 

“How about _now_?” Emperor Belos drawled. 

Boscha looked towards where Amity was standing, only red eyes illuminating her presence, and a small devious smile behind the tall emperor. Boscha knew she was in trouble, but she needed to do something before the darkness was the last thing she would ever see. Conjuring all her strength she took her fist and ignited it with fire and smashed it against the mask of the emperor, cracking it significantly having it shatter into pieces. 

A painful howl erupted and the emperor's grasp on Boschas collar loosened, dropping her to the ground with a dangerous thud. She felt a crack on her leg upon the impact, but she pushed through the pain to run as fast as she could. Whatever was behind that mask, she was sure she didn’t want to see, for his cries weren't witchlike at all.

Boscha has been through too many injuries in her sports career to give up now, but every second was an agonizing pain for her. She saw a gleam of light at the end of the dungeon and went for the door. She slammed it shut and whispered a locking spell to hold off Amity and the Emperor for a while. Relief washed over her and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in all this while. For now, she was safe. 

-

She limped into a nearby armory room and shut the door. Tears streamed down her face and she sat there for a few seconds not believing what had just happened. There was no one to comfort her but herself and she knew any time she wasted was valuable time. 

She observed her surroundings, although space was dimly lit her eyes needed to adjust. She knew she was in the armory because of all the metal breastplates she bumped into as she fell in. When her eyes adjusted, she found extra uniforms and more fancy looking gold plated armor. There was one she was closest to that had a diamond encrusted raven symbol on it. She put on the silk cloak that surprisingly molded into her body well, and the armor underneath which felt the same weight as her grungy uniform. Next came the leggings, which was the hardest to maneuver but she cast a temporary healing spell to numb the pain. Finally, she took the bird-like mask to hide her face, as well as a small dagger underneath her cloak and inside her boot. 

She walked out and was greeted by a small looking creature who held the aura of authority. Without hesitation, Boscha went up to the creature and asked: 

“Would you like any assistance throughout the castle? It is quite dangerous now.” 

Boscha was met with silence until the creature spoke. 

“Address me as General Kikimora Captain...Oculus.”

“Yes, General Kikimora.” 

“Good, now you may. I have urgent business in the throne room.” 

Boscha felt her heart sink and was glad she had a mask on to hide her worry. 

“If I may, General Kikimora. I was tasked with taking you to the Library, as instructed by the Emperor himself.” 

Surprise washed over her face but was masked by an emotionless facade. 

“Very well, let us make this quick then, I need to come up with a way to _neutralize_ those Hexside delinquents quickly.” 

“Yes, General Kikimora.”

They made haste towards the library, passing guards and marble statues. The interior of the castle was remarkably elegant, with golds, reds and whites complementing the the marble floors and red satin curtains. The only thing that took away the beauty of this castle were the ugly metal pipes oozing with green goo all round the castle twisting and intertwining like metal snakes. Soon they arrived at the library doors, and when Boscha was sure they were the only two around, she attempted to open the doors, but of course, they refused to budge. 

“My, these doors are truly _hard_ to open,” she giggled mockingly. 

_I’d like to see her try with those small hands._

“Just a moment General Kikimora” 

Boscha mumbled a few words and secretly slipped on a construction coven patch on her un-injured leg that she received from Luz prior to thier mission. With one swift kick Boscha blew down the door to the library where shards of metal flew around that would pierce anyone in its path. She limped inside, as the spell she cast on her injured leg faded, Boscha mock saluted as Kikimora was praising her. 

“I see Emperor Belos chose a strong captain out of all these fools, good work Oculus.” 

Boscha walked in and saw her friends, fear-stricken. However, Kikimora was already inside and she saw them too. It was too late. 

\--- 

It was Kikimora. Their tour guide a few days back when the Hexside students had a field trip to the castle. Before the short demon could shout for backup, her guard hit her behind the head with a heavy book, causing her to blackout temporarily. 

There was a grim silence that followed afterward until the guard approached them. 

“W...who are you?” Gus fearfully asked. 

“Oh, yeah right.” 

The guard removed their mask to reveal Boscha, although her face was littered with cuts she was plenty recognizable. 

“Hey.” 

The first one on her was Willow, her speed almost rivaled that of the emperor. Her arms wrapped around her partner, leaving gentle kisses all around her face her face was plenty kissable as well. Although it stung a little, Boscha didn’t dare complain. 

“Haha it’s so nice to see you again Will-OOF”

Willow pushed against Boschas chest, she saw her girlfriend’s heavy tears running down her face looking away, angry. She rushed to her despite Willow pushing away and held her close firmly yet gently so Willow couldn’t push away too easily this time.

“Shh, I'm here, it’s okay.” Boscha cooed softly.

“OKAY?!” 

“DO YOU KNOW HOW **_WORRIED_ **I WAS?! YOU LEFT YOURSELF IN DANGER!! YOU COULD HAVE DI-” 

“But I didn’t,” Boscha calmly stated.

“I know you’re upset with me, but Luz still needs to save someone she loves too. I knew I could get out of there, I _knew_ I would see you again. I also knew,” 

Boscha came closer to Willow and rested her hand lovingly on her cheek, “...that you would come back for me.”

Boscha coughed as she stated blushing and continued, “So, maybe I just came to you faster, can’t blame me for being fast on the field-MPHH!”

Willow silenced her quirky remark with a deep kiss, that even left Boscha speechless for once.

As the two broke apart, Boscha still dazed, Willow asked, "What happened to your leg? you were limping in here after you kicked down the door." 

"Ah, It's a long story, do you have any of that herbal medicine on you?" 

Willow nodded and took some dried herbs out of her pouch and applied them while whispering a certain mantra. Boscha knew they would have much to discuss later, but now she needed to focus on the task at hand .Next came Gus and Luz after enjoying watching the two lovebirds reunite. 

“Boscha, I’m _so sorry_ for leaving you, I-” Luz said as she hugged her. 

“Hey, It’s not at all your fault Luz, I just did my job.” 

“Boscha welcome back.” Gus smiled 

“Thanks, Gus, glad to be back.” 

Once the greetings were out of the way, Boscha told them everything about being tricked and seeing Emperor Belos, and about how Amity wanted the book. 

“So, all she ever wanted was some book..”

Gus slowly yet sheepishly held up the book that Amity kept referring to. 

”..that of course you have." She huffed. 

“Anyway, then whatever controlled her let Amity slip back into herself for a second, or maybe it was the demon playing a trick, but it knows how to play dirty.”

“It says here that Belos is powerful enough to control minds, he has done this before but, there's no way known to even this book to get out of his trance,” Gus added.

Another from silence befell the teens until Luz spoke up. “No, there has to be someway, we came all the way here for Eda, but now we need to help Amity no matter what. I know she's in there.” 

The other three teens nodded their heads in agreement. Boscha continued, “Then Emperor Belos came and he picked me up like your normal voodoo doll and dangled me as if I was nothing. He mentioned something about fighting an unwinnable battle.” 

“That must have been horrible for you, I'm glad it's over now,” Luz said resting her hand in Boschas shoulder. 

“So why does Belos want the book so bad?” 

“It contains his weaknesses, the only things that can bring him down for good” Luz smiled. 

“What are they?” 

Gus answered, “First we need to bring down the Bile sack, and then expose his face by shattering his mask. We already secured the pipes that lead to the bile sack but his mask is another problem.” 

“Oh.” 

Luz, Gus, and Willow looked at Boscha curious as to why she made that noise suddenly. 

“I forgot to mention that I might have punched Belos in the face, pretty hard, breaking his mask…” 

Luz couldn’t control her beaming grin, and neither could the others. 

“Boscha you aggressive genius! Now if we break the pipes-” 

"Uh, what's _that_ supposed to mea-"

“... and defeat Emperor Belos-”

“That can break the hold he has on Amity’s mind!” 

Boscha raised her eyebrows in curiosity towards her three friends, “Do you guys usually finish each other's sentences...like that?” 

“Oh, yeah it happens once in a while,” Luz smirked.

-

Boscha led Luz, Gus, and Willow to the armory and had them change into guards' attire. Once changed they went in a flock towards the throne room, where Boscha was let in, but the others were left. 

“T..they are with me” 

“The emperor is not taking other members at this time.” The golden armored guard stated. 

“I have direct orders from General Kikimora to let these guards in, they are newly recruited captains, top of their sections.” Boscha countered. 

“As you wish.” 

The golden plated guards unblocked the doors and let the four enter the dimly lit throne room. Thousands of guards were flanked around them as they made their way to fit the crowd. A dark shadow was cast by the throne and discarded palicmens were littered at the ground of what could only be the throne. 

“I see the captain and their recruits finally arrived, please, come to the center.” 

Boscha hesitated, but led them close to the center but not exactly. They each bowed and a few seconds of silence passed until Emperor Belos uttered two words.

“ _Get them_ ” 

Chaos broke out, every guard was after their heads. As they fought Luz saw the Emperor and Amity slip away. _NO! I can’t let her go, not again._

“Belos and Amity are getting away!” Luz yelled as she sent another guard flying with her vine vault glyph. 

“There’s too many I can’t keep track of where they went..” Gus yelled back, summoning illusionist monsters. 

“That’s where we come in!” Two of Emperor Belos’s guards came by Gus and performed advanced illusion magic. As they did this, they took off their masks revealing who they were. Emira and Edric, Amity’s older siblings. 

“Yeah, this has to break a record for most surprises in a day,” Gus mumbled.

“We came as soon as Lilith got to us, she told us what happened and we came to help.” Said Edric.

“We got this! Get our sister back, and be careful!” Emira yelled. 

The group left and followed Luz around the passageways, occasionally knocking out a few guards to an arena. A booming voice came into their heads: 

“P r Ep Ar E tO fIghT” 

Amity appeared in the arena, her eyes glowing red and her arm looking bent out of its normal position. Luz signaled Willow to leave with Boscha to secure all the pipes, as they left the door shut, and Gus and Luz were left inside the dome of burning sand. 

“Gus, are you ready to give this your all?” 

“Oh yeah, time to fight _human style_!” 

Amity charged at them full of speed. She was running into them but didn’t care that she was smashing her fist into the wall. Abominations were gathering from all directions and Luz fought with equal force using almost all of her glyphs. Both Gus and Luz somehow managed to get a few good hits in, but there was nothing that could _stop her_. This was a fight with Amity alone, Luz and Gus were just spectators. 

“Amity! Do you remember me!? Luz?” 

Amity stopped in her tracks and twitched, she whipped her head around and stared. Luz could have sworn her expression softened, but she needed to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. 

“GUS! Create illusions of the people she knows, make them say things so Amity can remember us.” 

“Right!” 

Gus created a circle of their friends surrounding Amity, she was seething and frantically looking around at faces that she knew. The illusions began to move towards her, closing the circle surrounding the young Blight. With every swing, the illusion faded. Belos’s weak voice came through to everyone in the room. 

“F I n iSh th eM...” 

Amity surged through towards Gus when Luz made a wall of ice to block her path. Some of the Ice shattered as she rammed into it, Amity reeled backward and landed on her back. Gus continued to do this method of bringing up memories for Amity. This went on for a while, and soon Amity seemed to become less aggressive, it was working. 

“Keep going Gus, I think it’s working...” 

“I...Is there a way so this w...works faster?” 

Luz saw something by the window and smirked. She took out a small whistle and blew into it spreading a loud and piercing tone. 

“AH! Luz, what are you doing-” 

Suddenly the castle rumbled and the green liquid was pouring through the closed doors, a pained gasp could be heard from a dark corner above them. The tall figure fell, wrapped in a white cloak it writhed and shook. It was Emperor Belos. The Emperor’s face was bare, unable to hide his true form, he was nothing but a human with wicked dreams. He glared at Luz, his eyes not adjusting to the light, he winced in pain. He was no longer a threat.

“Oh, I guess that did help.” Gus quipped. 

“Thank’s King..” Luz whispered. 

Amity started convulsing, Luz placed her hand on Gus’s shoulder and Gus made more illusions of Luz, and each one shared a specific memory that was precious to them.

"Do you remember the Azura book club we made together?"

"The snowball monster we fought to save our family?"

"Grom night, where we danced in the moonlight to defeat our fears!" 

"The Grudgby match where I carried you to the infirmary."

It wasn’t until Amity came to the real Luz where she spoke of the Grom tree. "Remember the time the fruit of our feelings became the most beautiful tree in the forest? Our special tree, that belongs to us alone."

The room flashed white, and a dark ghastly aura left Amity’s body, as she let out a sharp agonizing scream. 

When the bright flash was gone, Amity’s legs went slack and Luz ran to catch her. She cradled the sleeping Amity in her arms, begging for her to wake up. After a while with no sign of Amity returning, Luz kissed her forehead, her nose, and before she could move to her lips, Amity’s fluttered her eyes open, and honey colored eyes met hazel ones. Luz jumped a little, surprised. 

“Y...you came back for me?” 

“Do you have enough energy to move?” Luz asked, ignoring Amity’s question. 

“That's what you ask me after all thi-MPHH” 

Luz placed her lips on the young Blight’s lips with all the love she could muster into a kiss, but gentle enough not to overwhelm her. After they broke apart, they rested each other's foreheads together, sharing the moment that they finally acknowledged each other's feelings. They laughed as tears came without warning, and they both softly brushed away their tears. 

“I just wanted to know if you were able to stay awake for me to do that Blight.” Luz winked.

“Oh, wow, deathmatches,” Amity said happily and exhaustedly. 

Edric, Emira, Boscha, Willow, and King came running through the gates. Willow with the last of her herbal medicine, used it to heal Amity’s arm, which worked immediately. Each of them hugged her and she greeted them happily. Everyone was beyond glad Amity was herself again. Edric and Emira shared a moment with her as they all teared up but smiled and helped thier sister up. King came up to Luz and hugged her as she thanked him for responding to her signal by the widows. They all went out the back way of the castle and left on the extra staff waiting there brought by King and Eda.

Before they left the arena, Amity pulled Luz behind the group and she softly whispered her ear, "I can't wait to start being your girlfriend." 

Luz chuckled and pulled Amity closer, "You don't have to wait, mi amor." 

The new couple shared another, more loving embrace, to seal thier unspoken promises that laid ahead of them. 

Amity pulled away first looking down at her hands, although she didn't want to, they needed to get home. 

"Luz, I need to tell you something...:" 

\--

As they all returned, Gus told his father about the occurrences at the castle and the ordeal was soon broadcasted to the entirety of the Boiling Isles. A few days later, Emperor Belos was arrested and banished from the Isles, and stripped of all his dark magic. Him, along with all of his followers and Kikimora were banished to a high security prison, where they would never leave from in this lifetime.

A week later after the events that unfolded at the castle, everyone sat in the living room of the the Owl House together, talking and awaiting any sort of news on the future of the Boiling Isles. In a few days, Luz was supposed to return to the human realm, leaving behind the world she loved the most. Finally, Luz brought up the question everyone wanted to ask but didn’t know the answer to.

“So, what happens now?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the finale of this fic, Grom Tree of Fate. I am really glad that you read this far and I hope to see you in the next chapter! 
> 
> (Pssstt... there's also a surprise at the end, make sure you stick around to find out.) :0


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